Addis Ababa, 26 October 2017 – The African Union Commission (AUC) in partnership with China based technologies company ZTE Corporation launched a Smart Health Monitoring Room today, Thursday 26 October 2017. The launching ceremony took place at the African Union Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the presence of H.E. Albert Muchanga Commissioner for Trade and Industry, AUC; Mr. Chen Ning, first Counsellor of the Cooperation and Exchange Office of the Mission of China to AU; ZTE Acting CEO Zhang Jintao; and Dr. Yankuba Kassama, Director of Medical and Health Services of the African Union Commission.

ZTE is a strategic partner of the African Union and the continent in general. At the inaugural ceremony, ZTE unveil the future smart medical healthcare solution, “Smart Health Monitoring Room”. This was donated as a pilot project to pave the future digital way for medical healthcare in Ethiopia as well as Africa in general.

H.E. Albert Muchanga graced the event with a speech and an official inauguration of the African Union Smart Health Monitoring Room. He commended the initiative to improve health and clinical diagnostic services and product availability at the AUC Headquarters, which he said will go a long way to improve the quality of healthcare delivery system. This goes in line with the vision of the AU Agenda 2063 to enhance modern quality medical services for the wellbeing of the African Population.

Mr. Chen Ning, Counsellor from Mission of the Peoples Republic of China to AU mention clearly that the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China is now famous and popular. It is moving forward at full sail in all African countries. ZTE’s support to AU today in the field of medical and health services could also be regarded as one of the projects within the Belt and Road strategy for the establishment of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). China will strongly support the Africa CDC and improve the wellbeing of the African people.

According to Acting CEO of ZTE, Zhang Jintao, the AU Smart Health Monitoring Room represent only an initial step that will lead towards full fledge smart medical healthcare system in Ethiopia and Africa at large. He further emphasize that “the Smart Health Monitoring Room will facilitate good health data management and that remote cities equipped with this type of smart health services will contribute to early disease outbreak detection and response”.

Dr. Yankuba Kassama emphasized that the AU Medical and Health Services Directorate aims to make healthcare more Proactive, Integrated, Personalized, and Empowered for both the clients and Medical staff through the launching of a Smart Health Monitoring project. He added that the project will no doubt contribute to improved healthcare delivery system at the African Union and thus, attainment of the Agenda 2063.

The donation of the Smart Health Monitoring Room comes as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the AUC and ZTE Corporation signed on 24 June 2016 to enhance cooperation in the area of ICT and smart digital transformation of the African continent, which aimed to bring super smart, synergetic ICT network to contribute to the development agenda of Africa, Agenda 2063 and its First Ten Year Implementation Plan.

For media inquiries contact:
Esther Azaa Tankou / Head of Information Division / E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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