It is a great honor to join you today to discuss what has rapidly become the single greatest challenge for human development in Africa - health.
Health is the conditio sine qua non for human development - in Africa and elsewhere.
All other development efforts will be in vain if we do not succeed in resolving the present health challenges. Better health is the key to unlocking Africa's development potential. The commission was established by the Director-general of WHO, Ms Gro Harlem Brundtland, and it is chaired by Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Harvard. I would like to structure my presentation in three main parts. First, I will try to illustrate the magnitude of the health challenge Africa is presently facing.