Delegates Announce $1.2 Billion Fund to Produce Vaccines in Africa

Delegates at the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator conference in Paris have announced $1.2 billion in funding to produce vaccines in Africa.

This significant investment aims to increase vaccine production in Africa, which currently produces only 2% of the vaccines it uses.

The funding was announced at the Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation, where world leaders, health groups, and pharmaceutical firms gathered to address the global inequalities in access to vaccines exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator would be “an essential step towards a genuine African vaccine market.” The goal is to increase vaccine production in Africa to 60% by 2040.

The recent resurgence of cholera in many parts of Africa has highlighted the need for more local vaccine producers. Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye emphasized the importance of vaccination programs, which were disrupted by the pandemic.

Gavi, the vaccine alliance, announced its plan to raise $9 billion for its vaccine programs, with the goal of making up to $1 billion available over the next 10 years to boost Africa’s manufacturing base and improve global vaccine markets and preparedness.

The project aims to use market forces to drive down prices and encourage investment upstream.

Officials will explore issues like technology transfer, the possible creation of an African medicines agency, and tackling regulatory hurdles faced in Africa’s patchwork of legal systems.

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