African leaders have lauded President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi’s efforts to consolidate cooperation and solidarity among African countries and achieve peace and development across the continent.
Addressing the opening session of the second Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development on Monday, African leaders called on the international community to work on providing COVID-19 vaccines for the people of Africa on a fair basis.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the coronavirus pandemic has shed light on the importance of healthcare in Africa.
He stressed that strenuous efforts should be exerted to provide COVID-19 vaccines for Africans and support the continent’s health system to ensure the independence of countries in Africa.
For his part, Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba said the forum aims to discuss ways of strengthening the immunity of African peoples against the COVID-19 pandemic.
He warned that the economic condition of African countries would further deteriorate if the COVID-19 pathogen did not end.
Ondimba also praised the role played by al-Sisi to achieve peace and development in Africa.
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit said the world faces difficult circumstances due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
He stressed that the forum provides an opportunity to exchange talks with regional and international partners to reach a joint vision, which could benefit the whole world.
Meanwhile, Senegalese President Macky Sall said the forum is of great importance to achieve solidarity among African governments amid the COVID-19 crisis.
He stressed the need to facilitate the delivery of vaccines to African countries as soon as possible.
