Rabat: As part of the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, aimed at strengthening health cooperation on the African continent, the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) is organizing, in partnership with the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the African Partnership Outbreak Response Alliance workshop (APORA Morocco 2025).
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, this workshop, held under the theme “Strengthening Health Security: Operationalizing Civil-Military Collaboration in Outbreak Preparedness and Response,” is taking place from December 8-12. It aims to establish a strong and lasting partnership while contributing to the development of an effective continental network to anticipate and manage health threats.
Over the course of four days, African and American experts, including Moroccans, will engage in discussions covering major topics such as epidemiological surveillance, crisis management, emergency communication, the impacts of climate change, and national capacity building.
The workshop aims to enhance capacity development, promote training for defense staff, identify best practices, and share them among members. It also seeks to formulate practical and operational recommendations to improve collective response to epidemics and effectively support civil authorities.
Brigadier General Omar Agadr, Deputy Inspector of Morocco’s Military Health Service, highlighted during the workshop’s opening session that public health has become a strategic issue, a pillar of stability, and a lever for development. He emphasized the importance of focusing efforts on strengthening the continent’s health resilience through proactive, coordinated, and sustainable actions, noting the complementarity of the civilian and military sectors in anticipating, detecting, and responding effectively to outbreaks.
Colonel Julius Nvobegahay, APORA’s President, stressed the necessity of bolstering capacities and sharing best practices among Alliance countries. He noted that by joining forces, sharing data and experiences, and coordinating actions on the ground, the health security of Africa’s future is being built.
Mohamed El Youbi, Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, emphasized various aspects of civil-military cooperation, citing the involvement of military experts in national technical and scientific committees and the contribution of military laboratories in diagnosing pathogens.
Brigadier General Khalid Ennibi, head of the Center for Virology, Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital, stated that Africa must have a health system capable of early risk detection, understanding mechanisms, and effective response. He noted challenges such as global warming, limited resources, and recurring outbreaks, which may exceed national surveillance capacities. He added that this meeting is an opportunity to examine these challenges and develop concrete recommendations.
APORA, created in 2014 by AFRICOM in Ghana in response to the Ebola crisis, now includes 38 African countries operating under a decentralized governance model. Its vision is to achieve an epidemic-free continent through the collaboration of armed forces and civilian authorities to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases.
Supported by an Executive Board, military focal points, and expert working groups, APORA operates through standing and ad hoc committees. With guidance from experienced military and civilian advisers, APORA aims to strengthen states’ epidemic response capacities by integrating public health actions with security demands, establishing itself as a key player in health security in Africa.