Plans underway for Africa to produce 8 vaccines by 2040
What you need to know:
- Currently, Africa manufactures only 1 percent of the vaccines it needs, which limits its ability to respond effectively to disease outbreaks.
Addis Ababa. The African Union has set a target for 60 percent of vaccines used on the continent to be produced locally by 2040, aiming to strengthen regional health security and reduce reliance on imports.
Currently, Africa manufactures only 1 percent of the vaccines it needs, which limits its ability to respond effectively to disease outbreaks.
However, progress is being made, with plans for three companies in South Africa and Senegal to produce eight vaccines by 2030.
During a health journalism workshop in Ethiopia, Mr Kevin Irandagiye, the Technical Communications Officer at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Platform for Harmonised African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM), confirmed the vaccine pipeline.
He said: “At Africa CDC, we are working to ensure these vaccines meet demand as part of our journey towards the 2040 target. Our priority is on five disease areas that significantly burden Africa: diabetes, HIV, malaria, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and tuberculosis.”
Mr Irandagiye also noted that by 2045, diabetes is expected to affect 55 million people in Africa—a 129 percent increase from 2021.
The continent reported more than 600,000 new HIV cases in 2022, which accounted for nearly half of global infections. In addition, Africa carries 94 percent of global malaria cases, with 223 million reported in 2022.
Approximately 30 percent of tuberculosis deaths occur on the continent, and around 700,000 people missed a tuberculosis diagnosis in 2022.
The burden of NTDs in Africa also increased from 25.6 percent in 2000 to 36.2 percent in 2022.
Dr Raji Tajudeen, the acting Deputy Director General of Africa CDC, urged journalists to use their platforms to inform the public and influence policy through accurate health reporting.
He encouraged participants to make meaningful contributions following the workshop.
The three-day session included discussions on health emergencies in Africa, such as Mpox, Ebola, Marburg, and cholera, as well as the One Health approach, genomic sequencing, and the efforts to enhance local manufacturing on the continent.
