| If you want to go quickly, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
African proverb
Numerous grains of earth make a mountain;
numerous drops of water form an ocean
Chinese proverb
1. On May 6-7, 2013, the 4th International Roundtable on China-Africa Health Cooperation was held in Gaborone, Botswana to explore new opportunities to strengthen an innovative partnership between China and Africa to cooperate on health issues. The Roundtable brought African and Chinese leaders together to share experiences, discuss progress and lessons learned, and to make recommendations on how China-Africa health cooperation could be strengthened. These recommendations will be presented for consideration at the Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development, part of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing in August 2013, and will help shape China-Africa health cooperation moving forward.
2. The Gaborone Roundtable was the first to be held in Africa. It was co-hosted by the Ministry of Health, Government of the Republic of Botswana; Institute for Global Health, Peking University; and China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products, Ministry of Commerce of the Peoples Republic of China. The Roundtable brought together about 250 senior government officials from China and Africa, representatives from the African Union, the United Nations, international development agencies, NGOs, researchers, media, and the pharmaceutical industries of Africa and China.
3. Senior African and Chinese leaders and officials emphasized that health investment is a critical facet of improved health status, economic growth and development; that progress towards Africa’s MDG health targets and internationally-agreed goals need to be accelerated; and that international cooperation and partnerships are key to success. Within this context, South-South partnerships, such as this China-Africa relationship, is longstanding and important as it is based on a sense of shared responsibility and global solidarity in responding to health challenges.
4. Discussions focused primarily on how China-Africa cooperation could be strengthened in five priority areas (maternal mortality and reproductive health, malaria, schistosomiasis, immunization and vaccine programs and HIV/AIDS) as well as how to achieve sustainable, longer-term health solutions such as strengthening health systems, addressing gaps in health workforce and building capacity for production and increasing access to quality health commodities.
5. The following are the major outcomes and conclusions of the roundtable.
First, China-Africa health cooperation should be increased through strengthened dialogue. We agreed that the Africa Union Commission should convene a working group to develop consensus on principles to facilitate cooperation and advise on mechanisms to strengthen and support ongoing dialogue, which would form a basis for discussion at the next Roundtable.
Second, China-Africa cooperation should be guided by existing Africa continental strategies and frameworks, including the Africa Health Strategy (2007-2015), the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) and business plan (2012), the Africa Union Roadmap on Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) and the Maputo Plan of Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Third, cooperation can be cemented and intensified through country missions to explore how China cooperation could be mobilized and tailored to support African national strategies on critical health issues, including malaria, schistosomiasis, HIV, maternal and child health and reproductive health, immunization, human resources for health, and access to health commodities in a number of pilot countries.
Fourth, further explore how Africa-China cooperation could contribute to ensuring reliable supply of health products for African countries. We recommend China and African counterparts convene a multi-stakeholder working group to consider how China could contribute to health commodity security in the short and longer term; and we encourage Africa’s Associations of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and distributors and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products (CCCMHPIE) to explore areas of joint ventures, including public-private partnerships, and technology transfer to build African capacities to produce and deliver quality medicines, diagnostics, health supplies and technologies to ensure the availability of quality and affordable medicines and commodities in Africa, based on an understanding of both supply and demand, regulatory authorities in China and their counterparts in Africa should deepen and sustain their mutual dialogue.
Fifth, continue utilizing the valuable mechanism of the China-Africa Health Cooperation Roundtable. The Roundtable is a mechanism for facilitating dialogue and should continue its role in convening partners and driving potential collaboration. We agreed that the African Union Commission, in collaboration with Regional Economic Communities, should co-convene annual Roundtables with the Institute for Global Health, Peking University.
Sixth, we recommend finalizing the discussion papers prepared by the China-Africa Health Cooperation Taskforce with strong inputs from African experts and stakeholders. This Roundtable enabled productive consultations between Chinese and African counterparts on the needs and priorities of China and Africa. We agree that the finalized papers should be submitted to the Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development, part of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Seventh, continue China-Africa cooperation with a range of international organizations, which have critical experience, diverse capacities and important contributions in supporting strengthened Africa-China health development cooperation. We appreciate the contributions of the UN, NGOs, the private sector, bilateral and other international organisations to the Roundtable process and their support for bridging China and Africa institutions, and look forward to their continued contributions and support
Eighth, we agree that the four guiding principles of the Gaborone Communiqué are government-led, result-oriented, quality and accountability.
Finally, we thank the Governments of Botswana and China, the Institute for Global Health of Peking University and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products for convening this 4th Roundtable in Africa, and for the opportunity to share experience and views on how Africa-China health partnership for health development could be strengthened. We request that the Government of the Republic of Botswana presents the major findings and recommendations at the upcoming Ministerial Forum on China-Africa Health Development Cooperation. | 
