Morocco advocates a united and solidarity-based Africa and consolidates its cooperation relationship with the Israeli state with a memorandum on aquaponics
Morocco will cover more than 70% of its vaccine needs and more than 60% of the African continent's needs by 2025, thanks to the Moroccan vaccine factory project inaugurated during the pandemic, and plans to create an internationally recognised African hub for biopharmaceutical innovation and vaccines by 2030.
The Prime Minister of the Moroccan government, Aziz Akhannouch, stressed the importance of discussing the issue of natural disaster management, which, he said, requires the implementation of bold, multidimensional strategic measures that address the different sides of climate challenges and their results. In this regard, he highlights the issue of water, the environment and food security as an extremely important axis composed of three strictly interdependent factors that represent major challenges, especially in the current context characterised by the deterioration of the environment and its negative results on the health and well-being of the continent's inhabitants.
Morocco is therefore adopting a preventive strategy to deal with health hazards in order to reduce disease and mortality caused by environmental degradation and malnutrition, as well as to ease the pressure on the health system in general.
Akhannouch mentioned that common health hazards according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) are responsible for 25% of mortalities worldwide, estimated at 13 million people annually. An alarming number that called for the implementation of the WHO's global strategy on health, environment and climate change; urging joint action across sectors and at all levels to protect health and stimulate green health development and consolidate the activation of the One Health approach.
The President of the Government recalled, in his speech at the second edition of the African Conference on the Reduction of Health Risks, Morocco's achievements in the health sector under the leadership of King Mohammed VI in its fight against COVID-19, which allowed the national health system to acquire an immunity that enables it to face the various crises, as well as to consolidate the joint work between the various sectors and partners.
In this context, he particularly emphasised Morocco's great achievement in the midst of the pandemic by launching the project to build a factory for the production of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, which contributes to consolidating the Kingdom's vaccine sovereignty and having at its disposal several vaccines to cover more than 70% of Morocco's vaccine needs and more than 60% of those of the African continent by 2025. This project aims to create, in the long term (2030), an internationally recognised African hub for biopharmaceutical innovation and vaccines.
In the context of sustainable development and in view of the water shortages the world has been experiencing recently due to climate change and consecutive waves of drought, achieving water security is a prerequisite for food security. This obliges Morocco to accelerate investment programmes in the water sector through the development of water dams in the Kingdom of Morocco in parallel with the giant structural water desalination projects.
For his part, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khaled Ait Taleb, stressed that it is Africa's time and that it has no time to lose in the face of the need for crisis management. Africa must therefore rely on the potential of its countries and provide solutions to these problems on the ground as a continental charter for health sovereignty.
As the youngest continent on the planet with the most active population, Africa can count on a pioneering continent in the areas of environment, water and food security, advocating for the preservation of biodiversity, the promotion of inclusive economy and the reduction of health risks.
It should be noted that the African Conference is an opportunity to weave cooperative relations between Morocco and the countries involved on the international stage. In this context, the Israeli Minister of Agriculture, Avraham Moshe Dichte, signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of aquaponics with his Moroccan counterpart Mohammed Sadiki. The agreement aims to implement an agricultural technology project in the field of aquaponics, which is the integration of two cultivation methods such as aquaculture and hydroponics, as well as to consolidate the exchange of knowledge and experience in the fields of agriculture, wheat cultivation and water.