Tunisia Hosts Sino-African Medical Forum to Boost Cooperation
The forum combines three major dynamics: Tunisian hospital-university expertise, Chinese scientific excellence, and the growing health needs of the African continent.
Introduction
The opening of this ambitious initiative to boost medical cooperation between China, Tunisia, and several African countries was attended by hundreds of exhibitors, including 130 Chinese specialists and delegations from over 15 African countries. The goal is to make Tunisia a regional medical hub.
Forum Objectives
In his opening speech, forum president Ahmed Laâter indicated that this event combines three major dynamics: Tunisian hospital-university expertise, Chinese scientific excellence, and the growing health needs of the African continent. Over two days, the forum will deploy a rich program around four main axes:
- Traditional medicine and phytotherapy
- Valorization of African and Chinese medicinal plants
- Exchanges around ancestral knowledge and its modernization
Operational Cooperation and Health Diplomacy
Speaking at the event, Health Minister Mustapha Ferjani affirmed that this cooperation is part of a partnership signed in February 2025 between Tunis and Beijing. Tunisia aims to accelerate its rise as a convergence point for health between Asia and Africa.
Sino-Tunisian Cooperation
The minister noted that the visit of President Kais Saied to China last year laid the foundations for fruitful cooperation between Tunisia and China in several areas, including health. This cooperation has been crowned with the realization of several projects in Sfax and Tunis, including:
- The creation of a Chinese traditional medicine center at the Mongi-Slim hospital in Tunis, inaugurated in December 2023
- The signing of three cooperation protocols, including expertise exchange, the launch of a joint center for cardiovascular diseases, and the provision of a fully equipped medical bus for interior regions
Benefits for African Countries
For African countries, such cooperation in the health sector represents a pragmatic response to the financial challenges of health systems: the integration of alternative medicines could alleviate dependence on expensive pharmaceutical treatments.
A New Era of Sino-Tunisian Solidarity
Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wan Li welcomed the achievements of his country for the benefit of African countries, including Tunisia, highlighting that 14 hospitals have been built in various African countries by China in recent years. He emphasized the common will that drives China and Tunisia to move forward on the path of bilateral cooperation in all areas, starting with health.
Conclusion
The Tunisia Forum for the Development of Sino-African Medicine seems to mark a turning point. It's not just a scientific meeting, but a strategic project at the crossroads of health, diplomacy, and economy. By bringing China, Tunisia, and Africa together around a common vision, this forum could inaugurate a new era of tripartite health cooperation, both innovative and inclusive.
