COVID-19 exposed supply risks: many African countries import 70–100% of finished medicines and ~99% of vaccines. EU–Africa initiatives now focus on local production, regulatory strengthening, and workforce development to enhance health security and industrial capability.
Gaps & Goals
WHO-AFRO notes that Member States import most pharmaceutical products and nearly all vaccines. The African Union’s Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) aims to increase vaccine production in Africa to 60% by 2040, supported by European partners through financing, technology transfer, and regulatory capacity building.
Priority Actions
Regulatory Systems: Strengthen NRAs, converge standards, and operationalise the African Medicines Agency.
Manufacturing Ecosystems: Co-locate suppliers (APIs, excipients, packaging) near fill-finish sites.
Workforce: Provide GMP training, quality assurance, and bioprocess engineering tracks.
Demand Guarantees: Use pooled procurement and volume commitments to reduce investor risk.
R&D and Clinical: Expand EDCTP-style collaborations for trials and translational research.
How EuroAfrica B2B Helps
Verified Suppliers and QA-ready partners; matchmaking for CMOs, CDMOs, and device makers.
Academy Content on GMP, pharmacovigilance, and EU quality standards; project rooms for audits and tech-transfer milestones.
Key Takeaways
Building regional hubs for medicines and vaccines is both an industrial strategy and a health-security imperative, best achieved through EU–Africa collaboration.
Sources: WHO AFRO (2024) framework on local production; Africa CDC briefing (2025); AP News on the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (2024).
