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African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) Chief Executive Officer, Brian Deaver, has called for health sovereignty to be placed at the heart of Africa’s trade and development agenda, warning that without strong health systems, the continent cannot achieve prosperity.
Speaking at the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025) in Algiers, Algeria on Friday, Deaver said the COVID-19 pandemic painfully demonstrated that health security is inseparable from economic security.
He said that when borders closed, supply chains broke down and hospitals were overwhelmed, economies shrank and millions of Africans were pushed into poverty.
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Deaver added that Africa continues to lose billions of dollars annually through outbound medical tourism, resources that should instead be invested in strengthening local health systems.
“Health sovereignty is not an abstract concept. It is a cornerstone of Africa’s development, trade, and integration. Without health, there can be no trade, no prosperity, and no Africa rising,” he said.
Deaver highlighted the African Medical Centre of Excellence in Abuja, Nigeria, as a model for building Africa’s health resilience.
Established by Afreximbank , in partnership with King’s College Hospital in London, the $170 million facility is dedicated to treating cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and blood disorders, which remain among the leading causes of premature death across the continent.
According to Deaver, the AMCE is more than just a hospital—it is a platform for training, research, and innovation that will strengthen Africa’s ability to provide advanced diagnostics, precision medicine, and clinical research at global standards.
By offering world-class healthcare within Africa, the centre helps retain billions of dollars that would otherwise be spent abroad, while creating jobs, building skills, and driving innovation locally.
He stressed that the centre is also addressing the challenge of brain drain by equipping African medical professionals with the latest technologies and clinical capabilities.
Many doctors and nurses, he noted, leave the continent not only for higher pay but to gain experience with advanced medical tools.
He said with facilities like the AMCE, Africa can now provide that environment at home.
Deaver further explained that health sovereignty must be tailored to Africa’s populations.
He said most life-saving therapies, including chemotherapy, were developed using European and North American genomes, which do not always align with African genetic characteristics.
Deaver explained that AMCE is leading efforts to conduct clinical trials and research that adapt pharmaceuticals to African needs, ensuring better outcomes.
He also revealed that the centre is already curing sickle cell disease through stem cell therapies and bone marrow transplants, and will soon introduce cutting-edge CAR T-cell therapies for gene editing, which will lower costs and expand access to advanced treatment.
“The AMCE is not only for Nigeria; it is for Africa. It will serve as a referral hub and a model for replication across the continent, fully embedded within the African Continental Free Trade Area framework,”Deaver said.
He stressed that health must be treated as an industry within Africa’s trade agenda, alongside food and energy security, with pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vaccines, and medical technologies produced locally.
“The African Medical Centre of Excellence is part of a continental movement to secure our health, protect our economies, and invest in our future. Together, we must build a continent where excellence in healthcare is the standard, and where Africa heals itself,” Deaver declared.
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