APA-Cape Town (South Africa) Africa has taken bold and decisive steps towards self-sufficiency in vaccine manufacturing and pandemic preparedness in the wake of bottlenecks faced by the continent during the COVID-19 pandemic, South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile has said.
Addressing over 300 delegates from 15 countries at the 24th annual general meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network in Cape Town, Mashatile said it was crucial for vaccines manufacturing professionals in Africa to continuously improve and update their skills.
Developing countries found themselves at the back of the queue when rich nations hogged all the vaccines after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.
This has led to current greater efforts to ensure that they were better prepared and more self-sufficient in the event of another global pandemic, he said.
According to him, this has been made possible through the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacture which is coordinated through the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We have also taken bold steps in our own country of South Africa where three of our own companies – Biovac, Aspen and Afrigen – have invested time and resources in expanding vaccine production capability,” Mashatile said.
He added: “We are equally proud to host the World Health Organisation’s mRNA Hub that is being hosted at Afrigen, with Biovac being earmarked to be the first recipient of this cutting-edge technology.”
Speaking virtually from New York City, World Health Organisation director general Tedros Ghebreyesus said to achieve the African Union goal of manufacturing 60 percent of vaccines on the continent by 2040 would require a trained workforce and a commitment to procure locally.
“WHO remains committed to working with all of you to support local manufacturing so that all people can benefit from the life-saving power of vaccines,” Tedros said.
NM/jn/APA