OREANDA-NEWS. May 25, 2015. What is the value of economic growth in Africa if thousands of people still die from preventable diseases? The Ebola epidemic was a wakeup call of the fragility of health systems in Africa, killing over 10,000 people.

A high level panel on “Are we ready for the next epidemic: Fixing Africa’s Primary Healthcare Systems” hosted by President Kaberuka including H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, will meet in Abidjan during the African Development Bank’s 50th Annual Meeting on May 25, 2015.

When: May 25, 2015

Time: 17:00-18:30

Venue: Chapiteau Emergence, Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire

President Sirleaf Johnson will present her unique experience in transforming her country from having the highest EVD infection rate to being Ebola-free.

The panel will also be composed of Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Minister of Health, Senegal; Makhtar Diop, Vice-President for the Africa Region, World Bank; Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, UNECA; Andy Wright, Vice-President for Global Health & Access Programmes, GlaxoSmithKline; and Strive Masiyiwa, Chairman and Founder, ECONET.

This Davos-style panel aims to enhance Africa’s voice, national ownership and leadership in containing the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease and shaping post-Ebola recovery; enhance commitments to multi-sectoral collaborative action in redressing Ebola-affected countries; and promote regional and sub-regional solutions in recovery and preparedness efforts.

Discussions will also focus on the economic effects of the crisis, and the critical importance of African leadership in reconstruction and prevention of Ebola and future epidemics. Looking ahead, the meeting will also review possible roles for the private sector and donor communities. It will also delve into the multi-sectoral nature of systems required to ensure national and regional health security, including the role of technology.