https://en.sputniknews.africa/20260211/africas-health-security-rests-on-local-medicine-production-do-your-own-model--1083328569.html
Africa’s Health Security Rests on Local Medicine Production: 'Do Your Own Model'
Africa’s Health Security Rests on Local Medicine Production: 'Do Your Own Model'
Sputnik Africa
Declaring local pharmaceutical manufacturing “the second independence of Africa,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control... 11.02.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-02-11T16:08+0100
2026-02-11T16:08+0100
2026-02-11T16:08+0100
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Africa’s Health Security Rests on Local Medicine Production: 'Do Your Own Model'
Sputnik Africa
Declaring local pharmaceutical manufacturing “the second independence of Africa,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, is rallying the continent to transform the painful vaccine inequity of the COVID-19 pandemic into a sovereign health future—one where Africa no longer begs for its own medicine.
Africa currently produces just one percent of the vaccines it uses, leaving the continent heavily dependent on imported medicines and healthcare products. That is set to change. African Union leaders have approved a continent-wide pooled procurement system that guarantees predictable demand for locally made medical products.Led by the Africa CDC at the 37th AU Summit in Addis Ababa in 2024, the move turns a fragmented market into a single, powerful buying bloc. It promises better prices for buyers and gives manufacturers the long-term certainty they need to build a sustainable vaccine industry.Member states approved expanding the Africa CDC’s mandate beyond vaccines to cover the production of medicines and diagnostics, giving the agency broader authority as it leads the new procurement initiative with continental and global partners. Africa’s pharmaceutical market, worth about US$50 billion annually, positions this procurement system as a key tool for industrial policy. Leaders said the ultimate aim is for the continent to produce 60 percent of the vaccines it uses by 2040.In an interview with African Currents, Professor Martins Emeje, Director-General & Chief Executive, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), contended that Africa must invest in developing its own pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing using local resources and traditional medicine knowledge to achieve health security, economic transformation, and self-sufficiency, rather than relying on imports.Want to hear more from our guest? Catch the full conversation on the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.Find our episodes not just on the website, but also on Telegram.► You can also stream our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents.
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Africa’s Health Security Rests on Local Medicine Production: 'Do Your Own Model'
Declaring local pharmaceutical manufacturing “the second independence of Africa,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centers for Disease Control, is rallying the continent to transform the painful vaccine inequity of the COVID-19 pandemic into a sovereign health future—one where Africa no longer begs for its own medicine.
Africa currently produces just one percent of the vaccines it uses, leaving the continent heavily dependent on imported medicines and healthcare products. That is set to change. African Union leaders have approved a continent-wide pooled procurement system that guarantees predictable demand for locally made medical products.
Led by the Africa CDC at the 37th AU Summit in Addis Ababa in 2024, the move turns a fragmented market into a single, powerful buying bloc. It promises better prices for buyers and gives manufacturers the long-term certainty they need to build a sustainable vaccine industry.
Member states approved expanding the Africa CDC’s mandate beyond vaccines to cover the production of medicines and diagnostics, giving the agency broader authority as it leads the new procurement initiative with continental and global partners. Africa’s pharmaceutical market, worth about US$50 billion annually, positions this procurement system as a key tool for industrial policy. Leaders said the ultimate aim is for the continent to produce 60 percent of the vaccines it uses by 2040.
In an interview with African Currents, Professor Martins Emeje, Director-General & Chief Executive, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), contended that Africa must invest in developing its own pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing using local resources and traditional medicine knowledge to achieve health security, economic transformation, and self-sufficiency, rather than relying on imports.
"Medicine security is dependent on you being in control of your medicine, and the best way to be in control of medicine is that you make your medicine [...]. Africa needs to focus on the development of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine. African governments are deliberately investing in the development of natural resources available in Africa for our own vaccines [...]. We must invest in getting the infrastructure into the research and training and retraining of professionals that will be involved in R&D. For every disease, the solutions, the treatments for that disease or ailment or disorder or condition, are in that environment where that disease thrives," Prof. Emeje expressed.
Want to hear more from our guest? Catch the full conversation on the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
Find our episodes not just on the website, but also on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents. 
