The Roundtable hosted by Africa CDC in partnership with Mastercard Foundation under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, addressed the urgent need to develop a sustainable vaccine Research and Development (R&D) workforce in Africa. The panel of experts from leading organizations, stressed the need for innovative financing and greater coordination to overcome the continent’s R&D and manufacturing talent deficits. One key takeaway was the call to cultivate partnerships, boost workforce development, and champion the complete localization of the R&D value chain.

Enhancing capacity through intra-continental collaboration is important, and political support  is critical to bridge the significant gaps in R&D and manufacturing. Efforts are underway to establish a network of regional capacity and capability centers, enabling African research institutions to collaborate and share resources. During the keynote panel on ‘Implementing Vaccine Manufacturing in Africa.’Dr. Abebe Genetu Bayih, the Acting Coordinator of the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), emphasized the need for synergy among African member states. He outlined Africa CDC’s pivotal role in streamlining efforts and fostering demand for locally produced health products, underlining the need for R&D, workforce development, technology transfer and ensuring vaccine manufacturers in Africa have a sustainable market and economies of scale through the pooled procurement mechanism. The session on Global Health and Monoclonal Antibodies shed light on the essential function of monoclonal antibodies in tackling diseases in lower-middle-income countries, focusing on the hurdles of cost and regulatory barriers to access.

Dr. Yewande Alimi, the One Health Unit Lead at Africa CDC, highlighted the importance of vaccines as a cost-effective intervention to reduce infections and the subsequent need for antimicrobial consumption, which drives AMR. She underscored the need to scale up local manufacturing for relevant vaccines and increase policy investments in Africa’s   manufacturing ecosystem during the panel session on “Defining the Value of Vaccines Against AMR.” She called for simplified AMR messaging to the public and policy makers to promote the value of vaccines as a cost-effective intervention for low and middle income countries.  

Furthermore, discussions on building healthcare supply chains for regional production in Africa addressed overcoming trade barriers and fostering public-private partnerships to enhance local manufacturing coordination and capabilities.

The Africa CDC exhibition booth showcased Africa CDC’s work in the vaccine ecosystem, including efforts through the Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM), the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, Antimicrobial Resistance, and One Health and other health programs. The event attracted 4,000 attendees, including 450 speakers and 250 exhibitors, all committed to advancing the global vaccine value chain.

Health Security for Africa means access to safe and effective vaccines, and the Africa CDC is committed to expanding local manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, a key strategy that is essential for achieving Africa’s self-sufficiency and significantly enhancing global health security.

Media inquiries: Ms. Ndahafa Nakwafila| Communication and Public Information Directorate, Africa CDC, Email: Communications@africacdc.org | NakwafilaN@africacdc.org

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Africa is largely reliant on other regions of the world for lifesaving vaccines. Currently, only one percent of the vaccines administered in Africa are produced locally; the remaining 99 percent are imported. Such an imbalance in production can contribute to unequal access to needed vaccines and enormous health disparities between regions.

The tide is turning, however; investment in African vaccine manufacturing has surged in recent years as Africa works to safeguard itself against future pandemics and disease outbreaks—and particularly to avoid the delays African nations faced in receiving COVID-19 vaccines. But, with so many new projects on the horizon there’s a risk that disparate and uncoordinated efforts will yield duplicative investments in some areas and under-investment in others—which could jeopardize long-term impact.  

Increasing Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capacity will be a multi-year, complex undertaking that requires stakeholders across the public, private, and social sectors work together to create a robust enabling environment. Where do we begin?

Together, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and PATH examined the current and planned vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa to generate insights into what’s needed to develop a robust and sustainable vaccine manufacturing ecosystem. Details are available in a new briefing paper and the information can help stakeholders and funders better coordinate and prioritize development efforts, interventions, and investments.

Akhona Tshangela, Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) Coordinator for the Africa CDC; Frauke Uekermann, PhD, CHAI’s Director of Vaccines Markets; and Simone Blayer, PhD, PATH’s Global Head of Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls and Nonclinical Toxicology share project insights and how we can help move African vaccine manufacturing forward.

How much capacity does Africa have to manufacture vaccines locally?

Dr. Blayer: Africa has more than enough capacity to formulate fill, and finish (form/fill/finish) vaccines. Current capacity is around 2 billion doses—nearly double the average annual vaccine demand. And, more form/fill/finish capacity is planned; if it all comes to fruition, capacity to form/fill/finish vaccines would more than double the projected African vaccine demand in 2030.

At the same time, capacity to produce antigens locally, the first step in the vaccine manufacturing process, is very limited. Even when capacity expansion plans are taken into account, local antigen production will significantly lag behind the continent’s form/fill/finish capacity.

What are the biggest hurdles to building sustainable vaccine manufacturing capacity?

Dr. Uekermann: Commercial viability poses a huge challenge. The significant excess in form/fill/finish capacity means there likely won’t be an available market for all manufacturing projects under consideration. Also, local government support has been a driving force behind many manufacturers’ plans, which has led to strategies that are aligned to domestic political decisions rather than market requirements—which presents challenges for breaking into the regional and global markets that are necessary for success.

Limited access to technology transfer is another obstacle. Africa is highly reliant on technology transfers with non-African vaccine manufacturers to use the production capacity already installed. But, today, there are insufficient technology transfers in place given the uncertainty in market demand. There also aren’t enough technology transfer partners. Existing agreements are largely with one non-African vaccine manufacturer, which risks a strong dependency on a single organization.

Where is Africa’s vaccine manufacturing ecosystem strong? 

Ms. Tshangela: African leaders’ commitment to building vaccine manufacturing capacity has fast-tracked a roadmap to make Africa self-reliant. For instance, in 2021, the African Union Heads of State and Government formed PAVM to strengthen the continent’s vaccine manufacturing ecosystem and set a goal of locally manufacturing 60 percent of Africa’s immunization needs by 2040. In the past two years, we have seen investments in regional manufacturing total well over 1.5 billion dollars—highlighting global commitment to support the continent’s efforts to diversify health product manufacturing and ensure global health security for all.  

We are getting closer. While conducting site visits for this study, we saw state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities on the continent with adequate operational capacities. With the right resources—such as funding support, technology transfer, and demand certainty—these facilities could be ready for use should the next pandemic hit.

Where should donors and other stakeholders direct their efforts?

Ms. Tshangela: It is crucial to target investments and develop efforts strategically. Longer term, the most strategic investments are those that will focus on building capacity to manufacture antigens locally—this can help mitigate some of the reliance on technology transfer and build end-to-end vaccine manufacturing capabilities. But in the short and medium terms, it’s also important to fund technical support activities that can help manufacturers meet international quality standards like Good Manufacturing Practice and World Health Organization prequalification.

We encourage African vaccine manufacturers to strengthen business planning and focus on vaccines that have strong market potential to ensure economies of scale. Working with our member states on demand commitments for African-made vaccines is also a huge need—by doing so, we can not only help business planning but also accelerate pending technology transfers.

What comes next?

Dr. Blayer: Examining current and planned vaccine manufacturing capacity and capabilities is only one step in the process. We also need to understand the conditions needed to achieve the planned capacity (for example, types and sizes of future factories, workforce numbers, and types of expertise needed). PATH is currently working with partners to define these conditions, which can help manufacturers clarify business and operational needs.

Dr. Uekermann: Developing a set of high-impact market-shaping interventions and supporting in their execution can help address some of the strategic and commercial gaps, like developing demand commitments for African-made vaccines and facilitating the development of strategic technology transfers, among others. CHAI and key stakeholders are currently supporting this work. 

Ms. Tshangela: The Africa CDC is working with African Union Member States to support the procurement of African-made vaccines and identify and prioritize activities that will help Africa reach its manufacturing goals. This includes working with local regulators and the manufacturing workforce to provide essential skills and knowledge. This work was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and by funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government, or the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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The meeting aimed at:

• Gathering African vaccine manufacturers, their Health and Finance Ministers and National Regulatory Authorities, to identify the best modalities for achieving the success and the sustainability of the on-going manufacturing projects;
• Creating awareness among participating member states about the importance of their commitments to select and procure from African manufacturers;
• Creating a platform for manufacturers to present their current vaccine capacity and expansion plans, and discuss how these could help direct/build on market shaping activities;
• Exchanging views on the design of Gavi’s proposed African Vaccine Market Accelerator (AVMA) an instrument seeking approximately US $1 billion of financing, which aims to support sustainable vaccine manufacturing in Africa by offsetting initial costs and enabling competitive entry into the market. The potential AVMA will be considered by the Gavi Board later this year; and
• Sharing best practices for a strengthened private – public partnership.

Opening the meeting, H.E., Pr Khalid Aït Taleb, Minister of Health and Social Protection of Morocco stated “It is an honor for the Kingdom of Morocco to host this meeting of the first marketplace of African vaccine manufacturers. Under the leadership and strategic direction of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI, the Kingdom of Morocco adopted the public-private partnership approach to support the local manufacturing of vaccines and biotechnologies, with a strong commitment of the Government to support the development of the entire value chain of the local manufacturing of vaccines and biotechnologies products, in order to achieve the Moroccan and continental vaccine sovereignty.” He further added that: “Under the leadership of His Majesty, the King Mohammed VI, the kingdom of Morocco is strongly committed to collaborate and support the Africa CDC efforts, in order to achieve the goal of 60% of Africa’s vaccine needs produced on the continent by 2040.”

Delivering his remarks, H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC said: “The meeting is a testament of the commitment of the member states to see through the ambitious goal of the Partnerships for African Vaccine manufacturing (PAVM).” He further added:” To achieve that ambition, public-private partnerships will be a key to unlock not only a commercial potential but also the health security that we all aspire that requires us (Africa) to have the capacity to manufacture vaccines as well as all other health products we need.”

In a statement, David Marlow, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, noted: “One of the hardest lessons learned from the pandemic is that we can never again allow a situation where vaccine manufacturing is concentrated in an exclusive number of countries and regions. Working in partnership with Africa CDC, Gavi is committed to working with African Union member states, manufacturers, and regulatory agencies to build a thriving, sustainable vaccine manufacturing ecosystem in Africa capable not only of helping the region respond to future health emergencies but contributing to healthy vaccine markets globally.”

The AU through the Africa CDC, in April 2021, established PAVM to steer a bold goal that will enable the African vaccine manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and sustainably increase supply, from less than 1 percent, currently. The AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government further requested Gavi and other partners to procure at least 30% of all vaccines produced by the continent for global consumption. Since 2021, the African vaccine industry has witnessed positive developments with several vaccine manufacturing projects taking shape throughout Africa. Gavi also launched a new 4 pillar regional manufacturing strategy in December 2022 that looks at various aspects such as antigen selection and demand, including how to harness and channel country demand through the Gavi model in support of this effort. Gavi is also currently designing a new financial instrument – the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) which aims to provide support for sustainable procurement and long-term vaccine manufacturing on the continent, in recognition of the larger initial costs faced by new African vaccine manufacturers.

The 3-day event offered in-depth conversations between AU Member States, NRAs, RECs, African vaccine manufacturers, as well as key partners on how best to address the challenges facing the African vaccine manufacturing, to advance all together towards the bold goal of 60% of Africa’s vaccine needs produced on the continent by 2040. This included discussions on ways to best ensure there is sufficient and predictable demand from African countries for vaccines made on the African continent.

The meeting saw the launch of the Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing (PHAHM) Ministerial working group with an objective to harmonize health products manufacturing in Africa and frame continental approach to ensure the complementarity of ongoing manufacturing initiatives. This is in line with the Africa New Public Health Order call to action for: “an expanded manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.” Amongst its key strategic pillars.

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About Partners

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a continental autonomous Public Health agency of the African Union which supports Member States in their efforts to strengthen health systems and improve surveillance, emergency response, prevention and control of diseases.

For more information, visit https://africacdc.org/

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases – bringing together developing country and donor governments, WHO, UNICEF, the vaccine industry, financing and technical agencies, civil society, philanthropies and other private sector partners. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 1 billion children – and prevented more than 17.3 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 78 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global vaccine stockpiles and outbreak response. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. Learn more at www.gavi.org

MEDIA CONTACTS

Africa CDC

Kevin Irandagiye
+251 961346649
IrandagiyeK@africa-union.org

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Meghana Sharafudeen
+41 79 711 55 54
msharafudeen@gavi.org

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The African Union (AU)/ Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have called for a New Public Health Order to safeguard the health and economic security of the continent as it strives to meet the aspirations of Agenda 2063. A key pillar of this mandate seeks to expand the local manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Less than one per cent of vaccines administered on the continent are manufactured locally. The Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) was established by the AU, under the Africa CDC, in 2021 to deliver a bold goal: enabling the African vaccine manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and supply over 60 per cent of the total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040.

Scaling vaccine manufacturing and R&D across the continent to meet the AU’s 2040 ambitions will require quadrupling the vaccine workforce to approximately 12,500 full-time employees (FTEs). To respond to the immediate vaccine manufacturing talent needs and actualize the short-term vision, Africa CDC, in collaboration with the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturing Network (DCVMN), is organizing short-term training in vaccine technology transfer at Hilleman Laboratories in Singapore.

Scope of the course:

The purpose of this introductory course in technology transfer is to equip the participants with the following:

• Understanding what technology transfer is
• When to perform technology transfer
• How to perform technology transfer
• Regulatory requirements for technology transfer
• Legal and IP considerations for technology transfer
• Potential pitfalls during technology transfer
• Upstream and Downstream processing and formulation
• Biophysical and biochemical assays
• mRNA vaccine technology

Duration: 10 days

• Online training: 3 days
• Onsite practical training: 5 days
• Pre and Post Evaluation: 2 days

Dates:

• 13^th – 15^th November 2023: Online training
• 20^th – 24^th November 2023: Onsite hands-on training
• Pre and Post Evaluation: Dates TBD

Target group:

Eligibility:

• At least a bachelor’s in a life science field related to biomanufacturing
• Work experience of 2-5 years in biomanufacturing, preferably within the current company of employment
• Experience in vaccine production (Upstream, downstream & Fill finish), in-process Quality Control and Quality Assurance
• Employment by a company registered as a legal entity in Africa conducting activities in the scope of biomanufacturing
• Nationality or citizenship of, and residency in, an Africa Union (AU) member state
• At least an intermediate level of spoken and written English language
• Demonstrate in the application how you will apply the skills and competencies acquired during the training after the training in the institution the participant is coming from
• Demonstrate in the application the relevance to a professional project
• Demonstrate in the application the expectations from the training program, knowledge and skills you expect to gain
• Must possess a valid passport with a validity of six months after the date of travel
• Must be available to participate in the training in Singapore

Selection process:

The Africa CDC PAVM will set up a committee to review all applications, and only those selected will be contacted for further processes. Only 15 candidates will be selected.

How to apply:

Applications should be submitted by filling in the application form available at this link:

Financing

The DCVMN International and Africa CDC will fully fund the selected candidates. The funding includes:

• Tuition fees at the Hilleman Laboratories (DCVMN International)
• Economy class return air tickets on the shortest route from home country to Singapore (DCVMN International).
• Accommodation in Singapore (DCVMN International)
• Daily subsistence allowances (DSA) for the duration of the training (Africa CDC)
• Visa fees reimbursements (Africa CDC)

IMPORTANT DATES:

• Deadline for Application: 20 August 2023
• Selected candidates will be notified in by 30^th August 2023

Africa CDC welcomes applications from all qualified persons from all AU Member states regardless of gender, race, disability, religious belief, caste, or marital status. Young women are encouraged to apply. For more information, contact: PAVM@africa-union.org / cc: irandagiyek@africa-union.org

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In 2021, the African Union and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) established Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM). As part of the bold goal in its continental strategy, In March 2022, PAVM desired to develop, produce, and supply over 60% of the continent’s total vaccine doses by 2040. the African vaccine manufacturing industry aims to advance this – from a base of less than 1% today.

About the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a continental autonomous Public Health agency of the African Union which supports Member States in their efforts to strengthen health systems and improve surveillance, emergency response, prevention and control of diseases.

Learn more at: http://www.africacdc.org 

About Saving Lives and Livelihoods Initiative The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is a partnership between the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Mastercard Foundation designed to rapidly scale up COVID-19 vaccination on the continent with a target of achieving 70% coverage at the end of the project implementation period. The three-year Initiative will deploy $1.5 billion for targeted intervention in critical areas to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa and hasten the continent’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. please visit: https://africacdc.org/saving-lives-and-livelihoods/

The post Africa CDC at the World Vaccine Congress appeared first on Africa CDC.

The African Union (AU)/ Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have called for a New Public Health Order which will safeguard the health and economic security of the continent as it strives to meet the aspirations of Agenda 2063. A key pillar of this mandate seeks to expand the local manufacture of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Less than one percent of vaccines administered on the continent are manufactured locally. The Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) was established by the AU, under the Africa CDC, in 2021 to deliver a bold goal: enabling the African vaccine manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and supply over 60 percent of the total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040.

Scaling vaccine manufacturing and R&D across the continent to meet the AU’s 2040 ambitions will require quadrupling the vaccine workforce to approximately 12,500 full-time employees (FTEs). To respond to the immediate vaccine manufacturing talent needs and actualize the short-term vision, Africa CDC in collaboration with Texas A & M University National Centre for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) is organizing short-term course trainings relevant to biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

1. Overview of Africa CDC and BARDA-sponsored Texas A&M courses

Course 1: Advanced certificate in biopharmaceutical manufacturing

Course content overview:

• Therapeutics Manufacturing: Past, present, and future
• Understanding the Science of the Biopharmaceutical Industry
• cGMP procedures and Documentation
• Pharmaceutical Facility Operations
• Safety in the Biopharmaceutical Industry

Duration: 3 weeks (1 week online and 2-weeks onsite)
Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes
Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year
Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree (At least 2 years of study – completed degree not necessary)
Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred
Profiles of trainees: Entry level upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers

Course 2: Biomanufacturing of vectors for gene therapy

Course content overview:

• Gene Therapy Overview
• Products, Vectors, Process and Equipment, Introduction to cGMP and Biosafety

Upstream

• Transient Transfection of Sf9 cells, Single Use Bioreactors, Reusable Bioreactors, Cell growth in Bioreactors, Monitoring Bioreactors, Methods to produce Gene Therapy Vectors, Production of AAV2-GFP using Baculovirus and Sf9 cells

Downstream

• Vector Harvest and Recovery, Chromatography for AV2 Purification, Ultrafiltration for concetration and Diafilatration

Analytical

• AAV Methods of Quantification, qPCR, SDS-PAGE

Duration: 4 days onsite
Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes
Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year
Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree
Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred
Profiles of trainees: Upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers

Course 3: mRNA Vaccine manufacturing course

Course content overview:

• Overview of mRNA vaccine manufacturing

Duration: 4 days onsite
Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes
Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year
Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree
Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred
Profiles of trainees: Upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers

• Eligibility criteria for the short-course trainings
• Citizen of an African Union Member state
• Working in the field of vaccine manufacturing, regulation, academia
• Must possess a valid passport
• Must be available to participate to the Training in Texas, USA.
• Must be proficient in English

• Selection process

The Africa CDC PAVM will set up a committee to review all applications, and only those selected will be contacted for further processes. Only 24 candidates will be selected.

• The short courses Trainings

The trainees will be admitted in two cohorts for a 2 weeks back-to- back hands-on training for the indicated courses, with the first training (advanced certificate in biopharmaceutical manufacturing) to be conducted from 31^st July 2023 to 11^th August 2023, and from 14^th to 25^th August 2023. 12 candidates in each cohort. The dates for the other courses (Gene Therapy and mRNA vaccine manufacturing will be communicated in due course but are schedule to be conducted in November and December 2023.

• How to apply

Applications should be submitted by filling in the application form available at this link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11ZTD5jIF9bNNQcQ8QMjh7se7dzu3_t4a_EtFO9y1FT0/

• Financing

The selected candidates will be fully funded by the Africa CDC with the support of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the United States of America. The funding includes:

• Tuition fees at the Texas A & M University
• Return tickets from home country to Texas, USA.
• Accommodation and Daily subsistence allowances (DSA) for the duration of the trainings
• Visa fees reimbursements
• Documents to facilitate the visa application 

IMPORTANT DATES

• Deadline for Application: 31^st March 2023
• Selected candidates will be notified in by 7^th April 2023

Africa CDC welcomes applications from all qualified persons from all AU Member states regardless of their gender, race, disability, religious belief, caste, or marital status. Young women are encouraged to apply. For more information, contact: PAVM@africa-union.org

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Civil society and young people play a crucial role in African countries in promoting public health and reaching communities. With African youth constituting over 65% of the continent’s population, their meaningful engagement has the potential of positively impacting Africa’s health security. Therefore, their structured and systematic engagement in the conversation on public health in Africa is key.
Acknowledging this, Africa CDC will convene a Youth Pre-Conference on 10 – 11 December 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda prior to its 2nd Annual International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) 2022. The aim is to kick-start a long-term strategic engagement between Africa CDC and young people, to advance the full implementation of the NPHO and thereby, drive health security in Africa and globally.

This Youth Pre-Conference will take place in-person and participants are invited to participate at the CPHIA 2022 (13-15 December 2022) to engage in the conversation on the theme: meaningful youth engagement for advancing sustainable health security in Africa. Africa CDC is therefore announcing a call for applications for young public health professionals who are interested in participating in this conference.

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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION : 22 NOVEMBER 2022 | 17H00 (EAT)

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The post Call for Applications: Youth Pre-Conference on the Margins of the 2nd Annual International Conference On Public Health In Africa 2022 appeared first on Africa CDC.

“We have been very loud and clear about the danger and the risk for the continent not getting appropriate access to vaccines, but we need to accelerate our efforts and at least try to vaccinate 70% of the African population by the end of 2022 so that we have a chance of controlling this pandemic.”

Dr. Ahmed E. Ogwell OumaActing Director of Africa CDC

The African Union COVID-19 Vaccination Bingwa initiative is investing in youth engagement and empowerment, and shared value partnerships. It’s all about the principles of comparative advantages; co-creation, co-learning, co-evolving, collective impact and mutual accountability. The youth are taking the front seat in this campaign whose call to action is for not just the youth, but the entire African citizenry to get vaccinated. It’s time to #ShootYourShot.

Mme. Prudence NgwenyaActing Director, AU Commission, Women, Gender and Youth Directorate

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African Union COVID-19 Vaccination Bingwa Initiative

The post African Union COVID-19 Vaccination Bingwa Initiative appeared first on Africa CDC.

1. To purchase COVID-19 vaccines for at least 65 million people
2. To drive millions more vaccinations by enabling the delivery and administration of vaccines.
3. To lay the groundwork for vaccine manufacturing by focusing on human capital development.
4. To strengthen the capacity of Africa CDC.

The historic initiative – the largest public health partnership between a global philanthropic organization and an African institution – has proven to be catalytic. The Saving Lives and Livelihoods commitment to purchase 65 million vaccine doses was instrumental in enabling the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust to negotiate and secure 510 million doses for Africa from vaccine manufacturers. The initiative also helped inform the decision of African Union Heads of State to designate the Africa CDC as an autonomous public health agency. Additionally, the initiative has delivered over 15 million vaccines across the continent since its launch while deploying rapid responders to accelerate vaccination campaigns in countries at-risk of vaccine expiration.

Speaking at the one-year commemoration, Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, highlighted that the next phase of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative would focus on turning vaccine delivery into vaccinations.

“We must lean in and focus on vaccination uptake. It is an opportunity to work with governments to help set up vaccination centres, train and support health care workers, and engage directly with communities to understand the importance of getting vaccinated to secure the lives and livelihoods of their loved ones,” she said.

Dr. Ahmed Ouma, Acting Director of the Africa CDC, affirmed that COVID-19 vaccination remains a key priority for Africa, as the continent works towards a target of ensuring 70 percent of the population is vaccinated by the end of this year. So far, two African countries have achieved a vaccination rate of 70 percent, and six African countries have vaccinated between 40 and 70 percent of their populations. Overall, less than 20 percent of the people in Africa are fully vaccinated.

“Today, we commemorate the first anniversary of the Mastercard Foundation’s partnership with the Africa CDC to purchase and deliver millions of vaccines and drive long-term health security in Africa. We reiterate our commitment and drive towards the new public health order, which calls for a strengthened Africa CDC and our National Public Health Institute. To increase investment in the public health workforce and train the next generation of leaders and experts. Finally, to expand local manufacturing of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, which will ensure quick access and reduced costs in the continent,” he said.

Dr. Ahmed Ouma also emphasized the importance of focusing vaccination efforts on young people, given that 70 percent of Africa’s population is under the age of 30. The African Union and Africa CDC, under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, recently launched an initiative called Bingwa (a Swahili word meaning champion) to recruit young people as vaccine advocates in their communities.

Moving forward, the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative will include a strong focus on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) to enable African citizens, particularly young people, and rural populations, to understand the safety and benefits of vaccination. RCCE will play a crucial role in creating demand for and uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations and supporting other non-pharmaceutical efforts to break the transmission chain and mitigate the pandemic’s impact.

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About the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)

Africa CDC is a specialized technical institution of the African Union that strengthens the capacity and capability of Africa’s public health institutions and partnerships to detect and respond quickly and effectively to disease threats and outbreaks based on data-driven interventions and programs. For more information, please visit: http://www.africacdc.org

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation is a Canadian foundation and one of the largest in the world, with approximately $40 billion in assets. The Foundation was created in 2006 through the generosity of Mastercard when it became a public company. Since its inception, the Foundation has operated independently of the company. The Foundation’s policies, operations, and program decisions are determined by its Board. For more information on the Foundation, please visit: www.mastercardfdn.org

About the Saving Lives and Livelihoods Initiative

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is a three-year, US $1.5 billion partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) designed to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in Africa and hasten the economic recovery of the continent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative is acquiring vaccines for more than 65 million people, supporting the delivery of vaccinations to millions more across the continent, laying the groundwork for vaccine manufacturing in Africa by focusing focus on human capital development, and strengthening the capacity of Africa CDC. For more information on the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, please visit: https://mastercardfdn.org/faq-saving-lives-and-livelihoods/

Media Contacts:

Mastercard Foundation

Nonye Mpho Omotola

Lead, Health Communications, Human Capital Development

nomotola@mastercardfdn.org

Africa CDC

Dr. Benjamin Djoudalbaye

Head, Division of Policy, Health Diplomacy, and Communication benjamind@africa-union.org

The post Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative hits one-year milestone appeared first on Africa CDC.

PREAMBLE

RECALLING that on the 22nd of February 2020 African Ministers of Health endorsed the Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 outbreak, including the AU and Africa CDC’s leadership role in coordinating the response on the continent.
RECALLING that on the 24th-25th of June 2020, the African Union and Africa CDC convened over 3,000 political leaders, policy makers, and technical experts to discuss strategies for COVID-19 vaccine on the continent: access, development and manufacturing of vaccines.
FURTHER RECALLING that on the 20th of August 2020, the African Union Bureau of Heads of State and Government, chaired by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, endorsed the Continental COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access Strategy aimed at the “Successful immunisation of a critical mass of the African population with one or several safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccines.”
FURTHER RECALLING that on the 12th-13th April 2021, the Africa Union and Africa CDC convened a Summit where several Heads of State and 40,000 participants attended to discuss the need to accelerate the development of vaccines in Africa to guarantee Africa’s health security.

RECOGNIZING that one of the main outcome of the 12th-13th April 2021 Summit was the launch, by H.E Felix Tshisekedi (current chair of the African Union), of the Partnerships for Africa Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM). The Summit also agreed on the continental vision for vaccine manufacturing “to ensure Africa has timely access to vaccines to protect public health security, by establishing a sustainable vaccine development and manufacturing ecosystem in Africa”, and the proposed ambition to manufacture 60% of Africa’s routine immunisation needs on the continent by 2040, aligned with the call for a New Public Health Order.
NOTE that the AU Executive Council Decision EX.CL/Dec.1129 (XXXIX) recognised and endorsed the PAVM as the coordinating mechanism and its leadership of the development of a continental vaccine manufacturing strategy and a Framework for Action.
RECOGNIZE the great importance of the continuous and fruitful collaboration across the continent amongst African nations; and continuing to build on strong partnerships with international organizations, NGOs, different stakeholders, global funders, and the pharmaceutical industry.
COMMEND progress made so far across the continent to accelerate vaccine manufacturing. For instance, Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Recipharm; Egypt signed agreements with VASCERA and Sinovac and has produced 25 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to date; Rwanda and Senegal signed MOUs with BioNTech to produce mRNA vaccines; South Africa and Partners established the mRNA hub, Biovac has signed an MOU to produce Pfizer mRNA vaccines and Aspen partnered with Johnson & Johnson to acquire IP licenses; Ghana announced plans for COVID-19 production, Algeria launched local Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine production and announced partnership with Russia to produce the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine; and Nigeria published a national vaccine policy and Biovaccines signed an MOU to manufacture COVID-19 doses.
NOTE that on the 5th of November 2021, the African Medicines Agency (AMA) treaty came into force officially – clearing the way for the AMA to begin operations as a formal entity. AMA will clearly play a critical role in regulatory harmonization to enable vaccine manufacturing on the continent.
ACKNOWLEDGE the need to continue to strengthen African-led solutions such as the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) & Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) and expand beyond COVID-19 in-line with the strategy blueprints for vaccines.
ACKNOWLEDGE a real need to invest in regional quality approved API and finished product manufacturing facilities on the continent.
ACKNOWLEDGE consensus on the need for rapid operationalisation of African Medicines Agency (AMA), to harmonize vaccine manufacturing regulation on the continent.
ACKNOWLEDGE the role that the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and in particular the Intellectual Property Rights Protocol of the AfCFTA can play in the market shaping for COVID-19 vaccines, development of value chains in pharmaceutical products, private sector engagement and removing trade policy-related barriers with measures, including harmonizing standards.

NOTED that after considering several options the regulators agreed on two potential pathways for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) of vaccines including those for the SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19:

1) Use and strengthen the Africa Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH), as a mechanism to provide EUA for COVID-19 vaccines produced in Africa pending the full operationalization of AMA.
2) Create a network of National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) from countries with intent to produce vaccines and other NRAs with advanced maturity levels, using AMRH structure with close coordination by PAVM, and develop a step-wise process for strengthening them to facilitate the issuance of EUA.
3) Collaborate with the AfCFTA Secretariat to support manufacturing and Intra-Africa Trade for COVID-19 vaccines and pharmaceuticals products through appropriate Intellectual Property Framework.
PROPOSE the submission of the options proposed above to the AMA Conference of States Parties in January2022.

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