Africa Seeks Health Security Through Local Manufacturing
The African continent is pushing for health security by promoting local manufacturing of medicines and vaccines. According to Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Principal Advisor to the Director General of Africa CDC, local manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize access to life-saving medicines and vaccines, and is a key step towards health independence and sovereignty.
Currently, Africa produces less than 1% of the vaccines it uses and less than 5% of diagnostic tests, making it almost 100% dependent on external sources. This dependence leaves the continent vulnerable in times of crisis, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when wealthier nations blocked vaccine exports.
To address this, African leaders have declared that at least 60% of the continent’s health products should be produced locally by 2040. Dr. Ngongo emphasized the need for a complete and sustainable African manufacturing ecosystem, rather than relying on partial solutions offered by external partners.
He outlined five key pillars required for local manufacturing to succeed: research, infrastructure, talent, financing, and regulation. The African Medicines Agency (AMA) will play a central role in ensuring the quality and safety of locally manufactured medical products.
Dr. Ngongo also stressed the importance of market demand, citing the example of Senegal’s Institut Pasteur, which developed a COVID-19 diagnostic test but struggled to sell it due to lack of continental demand. The African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM) is being established to coordinate joint purchasing and support local manufacturers.
In addition to local manufacturing, Africa CDC is leveraging domestic resources and innovative financing to maintain outbreak preparedness. The organization’s Green Paper on Financing outlines a strategy based on four key principles: increasing domestic resources, promoting innovative financing, engaging the private sector, and addressing corruption.
Dr. Ngongo highlighted the need for data sovereignty in African health systems, emphasizing that “the one that controls your data controls you.” Africa CDC is working to strengthen data ownership and management through digitization, integration of NGO-managed data into national systems, and the creation of a Continental Data Centre.
The push for local manufacturing and health security is a significant step towards achieving universal health coverage and health sovereignty in Africa. As Dr. Ngongo noted, “health is one of the strongest sectors of any economy,” and local manufacturing can help retain economic value within the continent, create jobs, and improve social determinants of health.