Panel 2 on the third day addressed two vital issues for the continent’s future: “Health and Food Security”. How can we build resilient health systems? How can we ensure food sovereignty in the face of climate challenges and external dependence?
Five experts shared their analyses and solutions for an Africa that feeds itself and cares for its populations with its own resources, knowledge, and skills.
🏥 Health & Food: Two Sides of the Same Sovereignty
Health and food security are not isolated sectors. They form the foundation of human dignity and a continent’s ability to chart its own course.
This panel highlighted a concerning reality: the brain drain of medical professionals, the fragility of rural infrastructure, and the absence of early warning systems in the majority of African countries.
But solutions exist: strengthening local health systems, promoting indigenous knowledge, and rethinking food self-sufficiency in light of African realities.
🩺 HEALTH SECTION — Resilience and Health Sovereignty
HEALTH RESILIENCE
Dr Marsha Martin
She emphasized that the real intervention, after years of fragility, has been to strengthen health systems. She focuses on essential assets: laboratories, research institutes, clinics, community health workers.
” Resilience and health sovereignty are possible. “
INFRASTRUCTURE & HR
Dr Michel Kodom
He stresses the urgency of securing and modernizing health infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. He denounces the exodus of doctors trained in Africa to the West and calls for mechanisms to retain talent.
” Priority: retain our medical talent on the continent. “
NUTRITION & LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Dr Sylvain Landry Faye
He reminds us that nutrition and health are inseparable. Malnutrition is a symptom of governance and sovereignty deficits. He calls for strengthening community-based approaches, indigenous knowledge, and the regulated and contextualized use of AI.
” Malnutrition reveals our governance failures. “
🌾 FOOD SECURITY SECTION — Anticipate and Produce
CLIMATE & ANTICIPATION
Mr. Amadou Gaye
He emphasizes that climate shocks and environmental degradation are already impacting food security. An alarming finding: only 11 out of 55 countries have early warning systems.
” Priority: expand, amplify and harmonize early warning systems to prevent crises. “
FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Mr. Mamadou Goïta
He analyzes the concept of food self-sufficiency, the dominant approach adopted in the aftermath of independence. It refers to a country’s ability to produce most of its own food. However, he notes that this international concept was often applied without taking into account local realities and productive capacities.
” Rethink self-sufficiency in light of our African realities. “
11/55
Only 11 African countries out of 55 have
early warning systems for food crises
🎯 The Five Identified Priorities
1
Strengthen Health Systems
Laboratories, research institutes, clinics, community workers
2
Retain Medical Talent
Stop the brain drain to the West
3
Deploy Early Warning Systems
Move from 11 to 55 equipped countries to anticipate crises
4
Promote Indigenous Knowledge
Community-based approaches and local nutrition
5
Rethink Self-Sufficiency
Adapt strategies to local productive realities
🌍 The Message of This Panel
Health sovereignty is possible.
Food self-sufficiency is achievable.
But it requires retaining our talent,
modernizing our infrastructure,
and anticipating crises before they strike.
📌 Key Takeaways
- Health resilience requires strengthening local assets
- The exodus of doctors to the West threatens our health systems
- Nutrition and health are inseparable
- Malnutrition is a symptom of governance deficit
- 44 African countries lack early warning systems
- Food self-sufficiency must adapt to local realities
- Indigenous knowledge is an underutilized resource
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🌍 Official website: https://pac9-lome2024.com