Issued date: 29 August 2025
1. Background
The Partnership for African Vaccine manufacturing (PAVM) was established by the African Union (AU) in 2021, under the Africa CDC, to deliver a bold goal: enabling the African vaccine manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and supply over 60 percent of the total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040. In February 2024, the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly decided to expand the mandate of the PAVM include manufacturing of medicines, diagnostics, and other health products as Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM). To execute this ambitious goal, a Framework for Action (FFA) was developed and defined eight bold programs to support the vaccine manufacturing ecosystem. Technology Transfer and IP enablement is one of the eight bold programs expected to support tech transfer and IP enablement effort of African Manufacturers. The FFA assess the vaccines Technology transfer in Africa, challenges, and possible solutions to contribute to a strengthened vaccine manufacturing.
African manufacturers face multiple challenges in advancing vaccine manufacturing technologies, including limited access and visibility of available technologies and partners, high investments in staff development, equipment procurement and facility enhancement. Fragmentation within regulatory systems, markets, and distribution channels further complicates the process, making it difficult for African manufacturers to attract technology transfers. Additionally, inadequate incentives for technology providers to share innovations further hinder effective technology transfers across the continent. Furthermore, limited awareness of technology recipients on what can be done before, during and after technology transfers and the importance of proper agreement between technology providers and recipients is also one of the roadblocks that needs to be addressed.
Towards this end, in quarter-1 of 2025, the World Bank financed training to boost awareness on tech transfer process to African vaccine manufacturers to inform what can be done before receiving technology as preparatory phase, during tech receiving, and post tech transfer. The importance of proper agreement during initiation of tech transfers and related points. Before training, PHAHM and its partners performed a preliminary analysis on technology transfer needs and gaps of African vaccine manufacturers and during the training PHAHM tried to validate the identified tech transfer gaps and intervention frameworks by participants. Participants gave input on the tech transfer gaps and suggested prioritized intervention to address the gaps. Finaly when participants concluded the training and validation session, consensus was reached to do proper costing of the interventions and establishing data base that reflects the technology transfer situation in Africa i.e. tech transfer projects initiated, in progress, and completed. This costing will be done by the LMHC division in consultation with Health Economics division of Africa CDC.
However, with the development of the guideline for technology transfer supported by the World Bank, there is a need to sensitize African manufacturers who will be using the guideline during the process of technology transfer. The sensitization workshop is one of the approved activities for the LMHC division in the 2025 AWPB (ref ACDC-WB-2025-80). Furthermore, for proper planning and intervention, there is also a need to develop a database of manufacturers who are potential or existing provider and recipients of technology transfer.
The Africa CDC is seeking to engage a qualified consultant to support its efforts in strengthening technology transfer (tech transfer) mechanisms across the continent. The consultant will be responsible for two key tasks: Facilitating a sensitization workshop on the newly developed technology transfer guideline and supporting the design and development of a comprehensive tech transfer database. This ToR outlines the objectives, scope of work, and expected deliverables for this consultancy.