During this year’s Annual Meetings taking place in Abuja, a compelling panel discussion on ‘Reclaiming Africa’s Destiny’ spotlighted the intersection of health, trade and development across the continent.

The session brought together leaders driving transformative impact in their fields, including Brian Deaver, CEO of the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), Oluranti Doherty, Managing Director of Export Development at Afreximbank, and Professor Ghulam Mufti, professor of Haemato-oncology, a leading figure in haematology and oncology at King’s College London.

Focusing on Africa’s economic structural transformation, the conversation explored how investment in healthcare and talent can accelerate the continent’s journey towards sustainable, independent growth.

A key example was the recent launch of the AMCE in Abuja, which officially opened earlier this year on 5 June 2025 following years of planning and partnership. The hospital stands as a flagship initiative of Afreximbank’s vision for export-enabling infrastructure and a critical intervention in reversing Africa’s dependency on outbound medical tourism.

Brian Deaver, who leads AMCE, shared how the facility is designed to provide world-class care while also building local capacity. “This hospital is not only about delivering care, but also about teaching, training, research and building a workforce,” he said.

With a focus on non-communicable diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular illness, AMCE aims to deliver comprehensive services that are often unavailable or inaccessible to African patients on the continent. “We want to bring the standard of care available in the United States, the United Kingdom and India here to Nigeria,” Deaver added. “There is no reason why African patients should need to travel thousands of miles to receive treatment.”

Oluranti Doherty of Afreximbank noted that AMCE exemplifies the institution’s broader mandate to support intra-African trade and value retention. “Export development is not only about goods,” she said. “It is also about services, and health is one of the most under-exported services in Africa.” She explained that the bank’s investment in AMCE reflects a deliberate strategy to deepen Africa’s service economy while safeguarding the lives and productivity of its people. “We cannot talk about reclaiming Africa’s destiny without first making sure its people are healthy enough to pursue it,” she said.

Professor Ghulam Mufti underscored the importance of clinical excellence and research. Having trained and mentored a generation of haematologists across the world, he spoke passionately about knowledge transfer. “We are not coming here to impose, we are coming here to learn and collaborate,” he said. His engagement with AMCE is not only academic but deeply personal, driven by a long-held belief that Africans deserve care that is both cutting-edge and culturally grounded.

Together, the panellists highlighted the strategic importance of healthcare infrastructure not only as a public good but as an economic driver. With 40% of Nigeria’s annual healthcare spend currently going to overseas treatment, the potential to redirect this capital locally is immense. Beyond economics, however, the conversation returned to a shared belief in the dignity and capacity of African professionals to build and sustain excellence at home.
Deaver concluded with a call to action. “We must stop the brain drain, we must equip young doctors, researchers and nurses to believe that they can have fulfilling careers here in Africa,” he said. “The AMCE is one piece of that puzzle, but we need many more.”

As Africa reimagines its future, initiatives like the AMCE represent more than infrastructure, they signal intent. Intent to retain talent, to offer care with dignity, and to shift the narrative from deficit to destiny. The continent’s ability to reclaim that destiny, as this panel made clear, lies in the health of its people and the courage to invest in its own solutions.