The African Union (AU) on Tuesday announced the launch of a “Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing” (PAVM, in its original acronym), with the aim of creating five vaccine research and manufacturing centres on the continent.
The project was sealed with the signing of agreements with the Coalition for Innovation in Epidemic Preparedness (Cepi) — which already participates in the Covax programmes, with Gavi and the World Health Organisation (WHO) — and with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Africa Finance Corporation, a pan-African financial institution.
The five centres for vaccine research and manufacturing will be developed over the next “10 to 15 years” in each of the five main regions of the continent, said John Nkengasong, director of the African Union Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), quoted by France-Presse.
The aim of this initiative is to manufacture 60% of the vaccines used on the continent locally within 20 years, compared to 1% currently produced.
“We are aware that this is a real challenge,” Nkengasong said at the close of a two-day virtual summit on the subject.
Nkengasong noted the importance of “making a leap based on messenger RNA technology” and spoke of Senegal, South Africa and Rwanda’s interest in this strand.
Cepi director Richard Hatchett welcomed the opportunity to “strengthen Africa’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to emerging and re-emerging infectious threats”.
“It will require adequate financial resources, harmonised legislation in Africa and incentives,” argued current AU President Félix Tshisekedi, who issued a “solemn appeal to the African diaspora” to help build capacity for drug and vaccine manufacturing on the continent.
The issue of inequality in access to vaccines in Africa was highlighted by the covid-19 pandemic.
WHO Africa said that as of 08 April, “less than 2% of the 690 million doses” administered of covid-19 vaccines had been applied in Africa.
By that date, about 13 million doses had been administered on the African continent, according to WHO
