African leaders made a decision that will create a robust future market for medical products for African manufacturers. Spearheaded by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a pooled procurement mechanism was agreed upon and signed off late last night at the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa. This decision is significant because it creates predictable demand so manufacturers can plan for the long term to create a viable vaccine manufacturing ecosystem.

The Director General of Africa CDC, Dr. Jean Kaseya, said: "The decision means creating a robust market for manufacturers and ensuring the health security of all Africans. This will be the second independence of Africa."

The African market size for medicines and vaccines is approximately 50 billion USD annually. Africa CDC will lead the pooled procurement initiative in collaboration with continental and global partners. The move is also designed to ensure that African Union member states can get better deals on price.

The African Union has also voted to appoint H.E. President William Ruto of Kenya as the local manufacturing champion to ensure the continent reaches its goal of vaccine self-reliance. This keeps local manufacturing on the agenda for the continent and the world and prioritises health security for the African population. Less than one per cent of vaccines are currently manufactured on the continent. African leaders aim that 60% of the vaccines to be manufactured in Africa by 2040.

In a significant move, the AU also voted to broaden the Africa CDC's mandate to include the manufacturing of medicines and diagnostics, in addition to its current remit of vaccines.