Africa is taking major steps toward self-sufficiency in vaccine and health product manufacturing, as leaders, manufacturers, and global partners gathered at the 2nd Vaccine & Health Products Manufacturing Forum in Cairo, Egypt.
The forum, organized by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), focused on strategies to bolster local production and strengthen the continent’s health security.
Discussions at the high-level event centred on scaling up production capacities, improving regulatory frameworks, increasing financing options, and forging strategic partnerships to build a more resilient health ecosystem.
These efforts aim to ensure equitable access to life-saving medical products across Africa.
For decades, Africa has been heavily reliant on external suppliers for its vaccines, importing 99% of its vaccines and 90% of its medicines.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted this vulnerability, as many African countries struggled to secure sufficient doses amid global supply chain disruptions.
To counter this, the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) was launched in 2021 to boost the continent’s local production capabilities.
While progress has been made, significant challenges remain in achieving vaccine equity across the continent. Diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and Ebola continue to threaten public health, and the limited availability of vaccines hampers effective responses.
Currently, only about 50% of African children receive all their routine immunizations, compared to over 90% in high-income countries.
In a bid to address these disparities, Africa CDC has set an ambitious goal for the continent to manufacture 60% of its vaccines by 2040.
This objective will require the establishment of local production hubs, the development of a skilled workforce, and improvements in regulatory frameworks.
Support from the African Union, World Health Organization (WHO), and private sector partners will be key in ensuring the success and sustainability of these efforts.
“We are committed to ensuring that vaccines and essential medical products are produced within the continent,” Africa CDC stated in a post on social media following the forum.
The forum marked a significant milestone in Africa’s journey toward greater health security, with concrete steps being outlined to achieve sustainable local production and reduce reliance on global suppliers.
