The African Union (AU) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has launched Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) and have signed two Memorandums of Understandings.
This announcement comes after AU Heads of State and over 40 000 esteemed participants attended a virtual summit on Expanding Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing for Health Security last week.
The launch of the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing aims to leverage Pan-African and global partnerships to scale-up vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
The continental vision for vaccine manufacturing aims to ensure Africa has timely access to vaccines to protect public health security, by establishing a sustainable vaccine development and manufacturing ecosystem in Africa and the proposed ambition to manufacture 60% of Africa’s routine immunisation needs on the continent by 2040, aligned with the call for a New Public Health Order
Speaking at the summit, Co-Chair of the Africa Union Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance for COVID-19, Dr Ayoade Alakija says, “Africa must rise and Africa must take charge of her own destiny when it comes to vaccines. We need to begin to produce our own vaccines.”
Aspen’s head of strategic trade, Stavros Nicolai says Africa cannot continue to rely on vaccine imports.
