The African Heart Network hosted its first meeting on 29-31 March in Sousse, Tunisia, in collaboration with the Tunisian Heart Foundation. The meeting was well attended, with over 200 delegates and 15 African countries represented.
The meeting was opened by the Tunisian Minister of Health, Imed Hammami, demonstrating high-level interest in the event. Participants included representatives from the WHO Regional Office for Africa, the NCD Alliance, and the American Heart Association. The World Heart Federation was represented by President David Wood and CEO Jean-Luc Eiselé.
The programme focused on the prevention of CVD in Africa, with particular emphasis on hypertension, RHD, diabetes, dyslipidemia and tobacco control. The importance of advocacy was highlighted, including examples with many examples taken from global and local context in Africa.
The meeting was also an opportunity to convey the General Assembly and elect the new AHN Council and thank the leaving Council, in particular Habib Gamra for his leadership as president. The new council is composed of Pamela Naidoo, South Africa (President), Hassan Ghannem, Tunisia, Daniel Lemougoum, Cameroon, and Fastone Goma, Zambia.
Our warmest thanks to the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, the American Heart Association, the Medtronic Foundation and Novartis, for joining WHF in supporting the meeting financially, and in particular for sponsoring ten participants from across the African continent to attend the meeting.
