Pretoria – The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday handed over equipment worth USD 750 000 to South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to support its regulatory functions relating specifically to vaccine manufacturing.
In April 2021, the African Union Heads of States established the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), hosted by the Africa CDC to steer a bold goal that will enable the African vaccine manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and sustainably increase supply from less than one percent.
Under the PAVM, key enablers have been identified that need to be strengthened to achieve this bold goal.
There is a need for regulatory strengthening of the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) that must ensure the vaccines produced are safe and of good quality standards.
The Africa CDC said it worked with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) to set priorities.
The priorities include regulatory process harmonisation, and engaging with and strengthening NRAs directly.
This will be done through supporting and strengthening the Regional Centres of Regulatory Excellence (RCORE) platform to facilitate vaccine regulatory oversight, as manufacturing of health products expands in Africa.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC, and Dr. Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, Chief Executive Officer, SAHPRA.
“This donation is a proverbial breath of fresh air for SAHPRA and, more importantly, for the African continent,” said Dr. Semete-Makokotlela.
This stellar initiative will provide much-needed impetus for SAHPRA to take bold steps to capacitate the authority and the continent in paving the way for renewed vigour and innovation on the continent.”
Commenting on the donation Dr. Kaseya said: “Africa CDC’s mission of safeguarding Africa’s health from disease threats such as pandemics will require viable and sustainable manufacturing of health products and technologies on the continent.
“To achieve this noble mission, National Regulatory Authorities are our key partners.
“Today’s ceremony marks an important step in our commitment to support African manufacturing to ensure safe and effective vaccines are produced on the continent.”
Under the PAVM, SAHPRA is the first recipient of this support with a view to strengthening manufacturing in Africa.
The Africa CDC said it was working with four other NRAs to strengthen their capacities and capabilities to achieve the ambitious PAVM Goal: “Manufacturing 60% of vaccine needs on the continent by 2040“.
