Kigali, March 28, 2025 – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Regional Economic Community (REC) representatives and other stakeholders convened for a consultative workshop to strengthen coordination between regional pooled procurement mechanisms (PPMs) and the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM), as well as to discuss the modalities for the establishment of a joint information sharing platform.
Co-hosted by the East African Community (EAC) and the University of Rwanda/EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management (UR/EAC RCE-VIHSCM), the workshop aimed to align the efforts of Africa CDC and the RECs to create a holistic, coordinated, and synergistic approach to pooled procurement.
Building on the momentum from the inaugural workshop held in Addis Ababa in August 2024, the second consultative meeting brought together representatives from RECs, development partners, development finance institutions (DFIs) and other stakeholders to assess progress on the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM), share best practices, explore opportunities, and emphasize the need for closer collaboration to drive its operationalization.
“We are grateful for the opportunity for the East African Community to be chosen as the first REC to host this important consultative series. This workshop could not have come at a more critical moment. As we face the shifting tides in global health financing, the challenge also presents an opportunity for transformation. To truly ensure Africa’s health security, we must build our own capacity to produce medical products and technologies. Pooled procurement is a key part of this agenda!”, said Dr. Loko Abraham, Director General of the Rwanda Medical Supply.
Access to affordable, high-quality healthcare products remains a significant challenge in Africa, further complicated by fragmented markets, small order sizes and poor demand forecasting. Pooled procurement offers a solution-boosting collective bargaining power, increasing supply stability and attracting competitive suppliers.
The APPM is therefore, set to improve access to quality and affordable health product technologies and promote the localisation of manufacturing. Africa CDC is advancing the APPM in close collaboration with strategic partners. With a comprehensive framework now in place, the APPM is transitioning toward its start-up implementation phase.
“Today’s consultations are another opportunity to exchange information, discuss progress and identify joint efforts needed for the start-up phase of the APPM,” said Dr Jean Kaseya, Africa CDC Director General. “RECs will be instrumental to the success of this mechanism, which will enhance access to quality-assured health products and help drive local manufacturing,” he said.
The EAC Secretariat looks forward to seeing how the REC-based digital EAC PPM information-sharing platform will interoperate with the continental platform to improve access to quality and affordable health products and promote local manufacturing.
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About the EAC Pooled Procurement Mechanism and the synergy with APPM
The journey towards EAC PPM development started about 20 years ago under the coordination of the EAC Secretariat and the EAC RCE VIHSCM. The EAC region boasts having the approval of three key instruments, namely the EAC PPM operationalization model, the digital EAC PPM information sharing platform and the EAC Regional Health Data Governance Framework, were approved in May 2024 by the 24th EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health. Approving the three instruments mentioned above is a great milestone to the EAC Secretariat and the EAC RCE VIHSCM.
AboutAfrica Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a public health agency of the African Union. It is autonomous and supports member states in strengthening health systems. It also helps improve disease surveillance, emergency response, and disease control. Learn more at: http://www.africacdc.org and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
About the East African Community
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organization of eight (8) Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. https://www.eac.int/
About the UR/EAC RCE-VIHSCM
The East African Community Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management (EAC RCE–VIHSCM) is one of the six EAC Regional Centres of Excellence for Skills and Tertiary Education in the Higher Medical and Health Sciences Education, Health Services and Research. The Centre was established to contribute to the improved health of the people of the East African Community by building supply chain management capacity for EAC personnel and to act as a regional focal point for the introduction and dissemination of innovative and proven procedures in health supply chain management. In collaboration with the EAC Secretariat, the EAC RCE-VIHSCM is tasked with supporting the Community to operationalize the EAC Pooled Procurement Mechanism (EAC PPM). https://hscm.ur.ac.rw/
For more information and media inquiries:
Margaret Edwin | Director of Communication and Public Information | Africa CDC EdwinM@africacdc.org
Julian Asiimwe | Corporate Communications | UR/EAC RCE-VIHSCM | julian.asiimwe11@gmail.com; +250 788481831
