Chinese naval hospital ship "Peace Ark" completes mission in Gabon

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy hospital ship "Peace Ark", which is on the Mission Harmony-2024, on Wednesday completed its week-long mission in Gabon, the eighth stop of its journey.

The "Peace Ark" arrived in the central African country on Sept 26 and started to provide free medical service for the Gabonese people since then.

Gabonese Minister of the Interior Hermann Immongault and the Chinese Ambassador to Gabon Zhou Ping were the first to board the hospital ship.

The mission has aroused the enthusiasm of the Gabonese people.

"As you know, when you see a sick person, for a mother, you can imagine the suffering. So I'm happy coming here and seeing a highly qualified doctor. You know that China is one of the oldest civilizations in the world and in terms of medicine, they are very advanced. So we are delighted to meet the doctor. The doctor saw my child and gave a diagnosis. As for the rest, we're very happy," said Moussounda Erica, a mother of a young patient.

The medical mission of the "Peace Ark" highlighted the high demand among the Gabonese people for medical care in the field of general medicine, particularly in ophthalmology, maxillofacial surgery and joint pain, which are more common among many elderly people.

I've felt the effectiveness of Chinese medicine. It doesn't just start today. I've seen their products and they've saved a lot of people. Compared to Western medicine, it's closer to African medicine," said Mimioghe Edouard, a Gabonese patient.

Both Chinese volunteers living in Gabon and Gabonese volunteers who speak French and Mandarin supported the nursing staff by helping to detect pathologies and provide appropriate care.

"This is a major mission that sends out a very strong signal. As here in Gabon, we have a lot of problems with medical cover and doctors, too. I think it's a very commendable action, which we appreciate, and I hope that in the future they will always come to help us," said Ovono Nkomo, a Gabonese doctor.

The "Peace Ark" set sail from a military port in Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang Province in mid of June for the Mission Harmony-2024.

During the mission, the ship will visit 13 countries and provide medical service to local people. It will also make port calls to France and Greece.

This is the 10th Mission Harmony for the "Peace Ark" since its commissioning in 2008.

There are over 100 personnel on board the maritime hospital, featuring 17 clinical departments and 5 auxiliary diagnostic departments.

The "Peace Ark" is the first domestically designed and constructed standard ocean-going hospital ship in China.

This is the second time the hospital ship has docked at the port of Owendo, south of Gabon's capital city Libreville. After Gabon, it will sail for the western African country of Cameroon.

Chinese naval hospital ship "Peace Ark" completes mission in Gabon

African officials on Wednesday pledged to scale up investment to accelerate development across the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a meeting in Accra, Ghana's capital.

They made the commitment during the 24th Annual General Meeting of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), where leaders highlighted the need to expand the bank's capital base to finance transformative projects.

Ghanaian Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson stressed that timely capital payments would strengthen EBID's leverage and sustain its growth, enabling the institution to stimulate inclusive economic expansion across the region.

"Timely capital payments are critical. It strengthens EBID leverage and sustains its growth and impact across our region. Expanding our capital base is essential to strengthen our ability to finance transformative development projects and stimulate inclusive economic growth among our member states," said Forson.

EBID recorded strong achievements in 2025, with total disbursements of about 722 million U.S. dollars, up 47.7 percent from 2024. Building on that momentum, President George Agyekum Donkor said the bank remains committed to helping member states tackle poverty and close infrastructure gaps across the region.

"We aim to direct at least 63 percent of new commitments towards the private enterprises to catalyze job creation and innovation. Simultaneously, the bank would embed environmental, social and governance principles across its operations, dedicating over 41 percent of resources to climate mitigation and social inclusion projects," said Donkor.

With disbursements surging nearly 48 percent last year, EBID officials said the bank is positioned to channel more resources into private-sector growth and climate-focused projects, reinforcing its role as a driver of inclusive development across West Africa.

African officials vow stronger investment push at ECOWAS bank meeting in Accra