1- BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed Africa’s heavy reliance on external vaccine supply, which significantly impacted public health outcomes and socioeconomic stability across the continent. In response, the African Union (AU) and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) launched the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) in 2021. This initiative seeks to harness pan-African and global collaboration to enable the production of locally manufactured vaccines to meet at least 60% of Africa’s routine immunization needs by 2040. Currently, less than 1% of vaccines administered on the continent are produced locally.
To build a sustainable and resilient vaccine manufacturing ecosystem, PAVM is anchored in the Framework for Action (FFA), which outlines eight bold programmes. Among them is a regulatory programme focused on strengthening National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) and Regional Centres of Regulatory Excellence (RCOREs) to ensure high-quality oversight of vaccine development and production.
Aligned with the vision of a New Public Health Order, Africa CDC is spearheading efforts to secure the continent’s health and economic security, as outlined in the AU’s Agenda 2063. A central pillar of this vision is the expansion of local manufacturing capacities for vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, which is being advanced through the Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM).