African Leaders Urged to Accelerate Local Vaccine Production

Hakainde Hichilema has called on African leaders to take decisive steps to strengthen the continent’s health sector by accelerating local vaccine production.

Speaking at the ACHIEVE Africa Dialogue on the sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, President Hichilema stressed the urgency of closing gaps in health manufacturing.

ACHIEVE Africa, aligned with the AU’s Agenda 2063, seeks to ensure that 60 percent of vaccines used in Africa are produced locally by 2040. He emphasized investment in research, innovation and stronger medicine supply chains, saying collaboration among African countries is key to achieving health sovereignty.

John Mahama, represented by Ghana’s Health Minister Kwabena Akandoh, also called for increased cooperation to boost local pharmaceutical production.

Director General of the International Vaccine Institute, Jerome Kim, described ACHIEVE Africa as a framework for advancing vaccine development, while Zambia Public Health Institute Director General Roma Chilengi urged greater investment in science and innovation.

President Hichilema also launched Africa’s Research and Development Engine for Vaccine and Therapeutic Sovereignty during the dialogue.