No Excuse for African Leaders in Advancing Continent’s Health Security Through Local Manufacturing

Monday, 19 August, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the risks of over-reliance on global supply chains for essential health products. Disruptions led to severe delays and shortages of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, with low- and middle-income countries bearing the brunt.

Vaccine inequality starkly highlighted Africa’s vulnerability. Yet this crisis unveiled a unique opportunity for the continent: a chance to revolutionize its vaccine manufacturing sector, crucial for health security and economic empowerment.

Strengthening local manufacturing capabilities ensures timely, equitable access to life-saving products and lays the foundation for a healthier, more self-reliant Africa. Despite representing about 20% of the global population, Africa’s vaccine industry only meets about 0.1% of the worldwide demand.

This significant disparity not only poses a threat to public health but highlights the untapped economic potential in the continent’s vaccine manufacturing sector. The demand for vaccines in Africa is currently estimated at over US$ 1 billion per year, and it’s expected to increase significantly as the continent’s population expands, according to Gavi.

African leaders have no excuse: they must capitalize on these opportunities to advance the continent’s health security.

Opportunity meets regulatory momentum

Several recent developments offer promising opportunities to transform Africa’s vaccine manufacturing landscape.

The operationalization of the African Medicines Agency (AMA), with its Governing Board recently established, is a game-changer for Africa’s pharmaceutical landscape. AMA’s mandate to harmonize regulations, streamline processes, and bolster laboratory capacities is crucial for ensuring locally manufactured health products meet global quality standards. This regulatory support is essential for building trust and ensuring the success of local manufacturing initiatives.

Moreover, the inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20 not only demonstrates the advancements made in realizing the objectives of Agenda 2063, which seeks to position Africa as a major global player, but also empowers the African Union to wield substantial influence on matters crucial to Africa. This membership provides a unique platform for advocating and securing support for health initiatives crucial to the continent’s needs.

The AU’s Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM) is another significant step forward, as it seeks to create a unified single market to foster demand certainty and promote investment in local production.

To date, 21 of Africa’s 54 countries have signed the African Medicines Agency treaty. Fifteen have ratified it.

The launch of the Africa Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), meanwhile, is set to significantly accelerate the local manufacturing agenda in Africa. Through the AVMA, Gavi will make up to $1 billion available over ten years to support the sustainable growth of vaccine manufacturing on the continent.

This initiative, launched in June, aims to address the high startup costs and financial risks associated with vaccine production by providing financial incentives to local manufacturers. This support is crucial in light of Africa’s existing challenges, including overburdened health systems, rising national debt, and limited fiscal space.

AVMA aims to accelerate vaccine production on the continent by providing technical support, facilitating technology transfers, and fostering public-private partnerships. This initiative aligns with Gavi’s new strategic plan, unveiled in Paris, which emphasizes building sustainable vaccine manufacturing capacity in LMICs.

These efforts create a robust framework for not only enhancing Africa’s self-reliance in health product manufacturing but also an active member and contributor to the global vaccine ecosystem. Africa has made tremendous progress and manufacturers are already producing antigens.

Challenges remain, but leaders must act

African Union leaders signed an agreement with Rwanda’s Ministry of Health to establish the African Medicines Agency’s first headquarters in the capital, Kigali, in June 2023.

Despite these advancements, several challenges remain.

Technology transfer, capacity building, and supply chain strengthening require sustained effort and investment. The regulatory landscape needs continual enhancement to support local manufacturing and ensure compliance with quality standards. Additionally, there is a need for greater demand for locally manufactured products, achievable through multi-stakeholder partnerships and supportive government policies.

African leaders must therefore step up their efforts to reach the bold goal of producing 60% of vaccines on the continent by 2040. This vision must include end-to-end capabilities, from research and development to fill-and-finish. Policymakers must now commit to several key actions to realize this goal.

First, major government projects must prioritize investments in infrastructure and capacity building to support local vaccine manufacturing. This includes funding for state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, training programmes for skilled workers, and research and development initiatives to foster innovation in vaccine production.

African leaders must also ensure there is sufficient and predictable demand from African countries for these vaccines. While we appeal to Gavi and other partners to commit to procuring at least 30% of all vaccines produced by the continent for global consumption, it’s imperative to further strengthen national regulatory authorities to ensure ensure vaccines and health products manufactured in Africa meet the global standards of WHO Maturity Level 3 and above.

mRNA hub
Lab technicians work in laboratories in Afrigen, a company in Cape Town that has been selected as the WHO Vaccine Hub, in South Africa, on 11 February 2022.

That’s where regulatory harmonization is crucial. African countries must fully support the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and its full operationalization to help streamline regulatory processes and ensure that locally manufactured vaccines meet global quality standards. This will build trust in Africa-made vaccines and facilitate their distribution across the continent and beyond.

Public-private partnerships are also essential. African governments should incentivize collaborations between local manufacturers, international pharmaceutical companies, and non-governmental organizations. These partnerships can provide the technical expertise, financial investment, and market access necessary to scale up vaccine production.

African leaders must advocate for and implement policies that support local manufacturing, such as reviewing prohibitive tax laws and introducing tax incentives like tax holidays, reduced corporate tax rates, and subsidies for local manufacturers. These incentives would enhance the competitiveness of local producers and attract investment in vaccine manufacturing.

The path to vaccine self-sufficiency in Africa is challenging but attainable. By leveraging recent developments like the AVMA and fostering a supportive environment for local manufacturing, Africa can build a resilient health system capable of meeting its population’s needs. This transformation will not only enhance health security on the continent but also contribute significantly to global health resilience.

Now is the time for African leaders to act decisively and make vaccine manufacturing a reality for the continent.