WE, the Ministers of Health of the African Union Member States, meeting at the Africa CDC Ministerial Consultations on Local Manufacturing on 20th May 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly;
REAFFIRM the commitments we made in 2024 to purchase locally made vaccines to build a sustainable African industry capable of producing vaccines at scale, including vaccines in response to outbreaks and pandemics
RECOGNIZE the strides the continent has made in accelerating vaccine manufacturing initiatives with eight (8) antigens expected to enter the market between 2025 – 2030;
FURTHER RECOGNIZE the continental capabilities in manufacturing of medicines, therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices with more than 570 pharmaceutical manufacturers spread across the continent;
ACKNOWLEDGE the call by the AU Heads of State and Government for Member States, Regional Economic Communities, and Regional Mechanisms (RMs) to adopt measures to promote resilience against future pandemics, including investment in domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity (Assembly/AU/Dec. 829(XXXV));
NOTE the recommendations outlined in the Communiqué of the 2nd Vaccines and other Health Products Manufacturing Forum for African Union Member States “The Manufacturing Forum”; held earlier in 2025;
FURTHER NOTE the challenges African health products manufacturing ecosystem face as well as the opportunities it presents to strengthen our health systems as well as economic and developmental benefits.
EXPRESS OUR APPRECIATION for the support of the African Union, through the Africa CDC to African Member States in the response of the numerous outbreaks affecting the continent.
COMMIT TO:
- Leveraging our buying power and securing agreements including advanced purchase agreements as appropriate, with African manufacturers of health products,
- Finding solutions to health products with limited routine demand such as rare diseases and neglected topical diseases including stockpiling of the products
- Adopting procurement preferences for African-made health products, including legislating continental preferential procurement provisions;
- Integrating the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM) into the national procurement frameworks, enabling its use as a strategic procurement channel;
- Streamlining regulatory approvals using reliance mechanisms by recognizing regulatory decisions made by African NRAs that have achieved WHO Maturity Level 3 or higher, the African Medicines Agency (AMA), and outcomes of joint assessments or inspections conducted under Regional Economic Community (REC)-affiliated harmonization initiatives: Furthermore, adopt these decisions as first-tier technical evaluation criteria during procurement processes to promote regulatory reliance, reduce duplication of effort, and accelerate access to quality-assured medical products manufactured and authorized within the continent;
- Accelerating and adopting legislation at national level favoring implementation of continental initiatives: African Medicines Agency (AMA) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); key enablers to increase Access and intra-regional trade in locally manufactured health products across the continent.
URGE Global partners, such as Gavi, Global Fund, UNICEF, UNITAID and others, to respond to the AU heads of states’ call to action and set clear procurement targets and commitments of procurement of products made in Africa.
URGE the Development Financing Institutions (DFIs) to support the Supply and Buy-Africa in support of African Manufacturers
CALL UPON the Heads of States and Governments to support market shaping initiatives led by Africa CDC to promote BUY-AFRICA and increase Intra-Africa trade of locally manufactured health products.
DECIDE to remain actively seized of the matter. This Communique is delivered at the Africa CDC Ministerial Consultations on Local Manufacturing of Health Products on 20th May 2025 on the sidelines of 78th World Health Assembly, Geneva, Switzerland
