Deputy Director of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health, Professor Youns Bjijou, has said Africa must urgently embrace health sovereignty as a foundation for its long-term security and development.

He made the call in a keynote address at the opening of the 9th General Assembly of the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA) in Marrakech.

The two-day assembly, opened by FAAPA President Arif Fouad, is being held under the theme: “Territorial Inclusion and Spatial Justice: African Press Agencies at the Heart of the Continent’s Transformations.”

Prof Bjijou stressed that achieving health sovereignty for all Africans was essential to safeguarding human dignity, strengthening national cohesion and ensuring continental security.

He said Africa was currently experiencing a major health transition marked by a double epidemiological burden — the persistence of infectious diseases alongside a rapid rise in non-communicable diseases — which continues to strain already fragile health systems.

Citing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC), Prof Bjijou noted that Africa accounts for about 94 per cent of global malaria cases. He added that the continent is home to 65 per cent of people living with HIV and records 76 per cent of malaria-related deaths among children under five.

He further pointed out that cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are increasing sharply across the continent, driven largely by urbanisation, ageing populations and changing lifestyles.

According to comparative indicators from the WHO and Africa CDC, Africa continues to record low per capita health spending, severe shortages of medical personnel and a heavy reliance on imported medicines and vaccines.

He said between 70 and 90 per cent of medicines used in Africa are imported, while more than 99 per cent of vaccines come from outside the continent, leaving countries highly exposed during global health emergencies.

Prof Bjijou therefore called for a paradigm shift from passive dependence to active local production, innovation and the development of secure supply chains. He described resilient health systems as essential public goods and key pillars of national security, urging African leaders to view health not as a cost but as a strategic investment.

Touching on Morocco’s experience, Prof Bjijou said the country, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, had placed health sovereignty, territorial equity and citizen-centred care at the heart of its development agenda.

He highlighted reforms such as the creation of Territorial Health Groups aimed at decentralising governance, strengthening proximity healthcare and integrating digital systems to improve efficiency and accountability.

He said the Mohammed VI Foundation for Science and Health supports these reforms through healthcare delivery, training, research and innovation, complementing state efforts with flexibility and responsiveness.

Integrated hospital-university complexes have been established in Dakhla, Agadir, Marrakech and Rabat, alongside the Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences, which trains professionals in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, public health and biomedical engineering.

Prof Bjijou said these initiatives reflect Morocco’s wider commitment to supporting continental health efforts through knowledge-sharing, capacity building and African-led scientific solutions, including the African Academy of Health Sciences and the Dakhla Declaration.

He also called on African media, particularly press agencies, to play a central role in advancing health sovereignty by translating policy into everyday realities, combating misinformation and amplifying the voices of underserved communities.

He noted that this responsibility aligns closely with the FAAPA General Assembly’s focus on territorial inclusion and spatial justice as core drivers of Africa’s transformation.