Nairobi: Africa consumes nearly 25 percent of all globally produced vaccines, yet it imports 99 percent of its vaccines and 90 percent of its medical supplies. With over 100 major disease outbreaks annually, this dependency has proven catastrophic, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when countries hoarded doses, leaving Africa at the back of the queue.
According to Global Voices, as of 2022, Asia produced 43 percent of the world's vaccines, while North America and Europe contributed 35 percent and 20 percent, respectively. In stark contrast, Africa meets just 0.2 percent of its vaccine needs through domestic production. Recognizing this gap, African leaders launched the Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) initiative in 2021, a USD 1.5 billion strategy to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the continent's population and boost local health security.
The initiative, led by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and funded by the Mastercard Foundation, delivered approximately 35 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and 6 million units of PPE to 12 countries. It also expanded genomic sequencing labs across the continent from two to 40.
SLL aims to establish a sustainable vaccine manufacturing ecosystem through the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM). African leaders aspire to achieve vaccine sovereignty by producing 60 percent of the continent's vaccines by 2040.
Despite Africa's significant disease burden, less than three percent of global clinical trials are conducted on the continent. This lack of representation in clinical trials often leads to medicines developed without considering African health needs. Addressing misconceptions, Dr. Alemayehu Duga from Africa CDC emphasized that clinical trials are critical for generating evidence necessary to protect African lives.
The SLL initiative also focuses on enhancing pharmacovigilance and safety surveillance networks. During its first phase, SLL operated in 29 countries, training health workers and improving logistics, resulting in the full vaccination of 53 percent of the target population.
Despite the African Union Agenda 2063 and the African Health Strategy urging investment in health, many African governments fall short in public health funding. Under the Abuja Declaration, AU member states committed to allocating at least 15 percent of their budgets to health, yet only Rwanda, Botswana, and Cape Verde have consistently met this target.
Countries like Rwanda and Morocco have made strides in local pharmaceutical production. Morocco ranks second in pharmaceutical production on the continent, following South Africa, whose market is expected to reach USD 13.63 billion by 2025. Rwanda boasts over 90 percent immunization coverage for children aged 12 to 23 months.
With at least 25 vaccine manufacturing projects underway in countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal, the African Medicines Agency aims to harmonize regulatory frameworks. The Africa CDC is working towards WHO prequalification of eight locally made vaccines by 2030.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the necessity for self-reliance. Africa accounts for just 2 percent of global research output. In response, Gavi launched the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator with a USD 1.2 billion commitment, while Afreximbank pledged USD 2 billion for health products manufacturing.
The second phase of SLL, backed by a USD 638 million investment, is set to run from August 2024 to December 2025, further supporting Africa's journey towards vaccine sovereignty.