As African countries expand access to medicines and vaccines, monitoring their safety remains a public health priority. Stronger surveillance systems are needed to identify potential risks, protect patients and respond effectively to safety concerns, particularly during disease outbreaks.
The Africa CDC Pharmacovigilance Unit works with African Union Member States to develop sustainable systems for monitoring medicine and vaccine safety. Its priorities include building specialised workforce capacity, improving the detection and reporting of adverse events, strengthening data safety monitoring and promoting harmonised surveillance approaches across countries.
Working with national authorities and technical partners, Africa CDC has contributed to the training of thousands of health workers in pharmacovigilance and safety monitoring. The Unit also supports the development of national reporting systems and independent Data Safety Monitoring Boards to improve the assessment of safety concerns. In Somalia and Djibouti, this work has included establishing pharmacovigilance systems and linking national reporting mechanisms to global medicine safety databases.
In partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Africa CDC is establishing the African Vaccine Safety Sentinel Surveillance Network to generate vaccine safety evidence specific to African populations. The network will improve the detection and assessment of potential safety concerns and provide evidence to inform public health decisions.
Looking ahead, Africa CDC will focus on integrating pharmacovigilance into national health systems, expanding digital safety reporting and improving coordination among regulators, healthcare providers and public health institutions. These efforts will support safer access to medicines and vaccines, more effective responses to public health emergencies and stronger safety oversight as local pharmaceutical manufacturing expands across the continent.
