In Africa, IFPMA positions our members as partners in contributing to Africa’s health ecosystem and in solving the region’s health challenges.

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    Overview

    IFPMA and our members work in dynamic partnerships and multisectoral engagement with African public health stakeholders, policy makers, civil society, national government, and non-governmental organizations toward an innovative and sustainable health ecosystem in Africa.

    We support national efforts in African countries that include advocacy to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). We also advocate for and offer solutions that build local healthcare systems through enhancing professional capacity, strengthening supply chains and procurement, financing initiatives, and increasing access to medicines and vaccines.

    An ecosystem approach

    We are working in partnership to help create a dynamic and collaborative public health ecosystem in Africa that puts people at its heart.

    Our goal is to improve patient experience, health outcomes, and the allocation of resources.

    We do this through an ecosystem approach that features innovation, access, health systems strengthening, regulatory harmonization and the fight against falsified medicines, UHC, investment and trade, encompassed by business integrity.

    Our ecosystem approach is designed to make sure:

    Processes for structured and meaningful partner engagement are in place

    National health strategies and plans set clear, evidence-based policy objectives

    There is a robust regulatory and legal system

    There is more and better investment in health, especially to strengthen healthcare systems

    There is appropriate capacity and procedures to work with non-state actors

    There is knowledge and evidence of what works for healthcare systems and UHC

    Our ethos

    Ethics and integrity are cornerstones of the innovative pharmaceutical industry business culture. In Africa, they enable cross-sector collaboration to help sustain initiatives and implement innovative approaches to increasing access to quality, affordable healthcare to be guided by trust, care, fairness, respect, and honesty.

    Manufacturing in Africa

    IFPMA and members active on the continent, local African producers, international institutions, governments, and other stakeholders are involved in exploring solutions and initiatives to enhance and sustain local manufacturing across Africa.

    99%

    of vaccine and 70% of essential medicine supply needs are met via imports in Africa

    1%

    of vaccine doses needed on the continent  are developed by the African vaccine manufacturing industry

    >60%

    of doses needed on the content should be developed, produced and supplied by African industry by 2040

    Imports currently meet 99% of vaccine and 70% of essential medicine supply needs in Africa. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this major dependency, along with weakened health systems, seriously impacted the supply of vaccines and many essential medicines.

    As a result, African leaders are developing the innovative pharmaceutical industry in Africa as a health security priority.

    IFPMA recognizes that open dialogue between African leaders, manufacturers, suppliers, investors, international organizations, and governments is essential to develop the legal, economic, and financial frameworks to strengthen the continent’s innovative pharmaceutical industry.

    Including the private sector is vital to achieve a productive national, regional, and continental market environment.

    In November 2021, together with the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Vaccines Europe, and the European Commission, IFPMA declared our intention to consider sustainable initiatives to help stimulate production in Africa.

    We keenly engage in dialogue and have led several high-level discussions, as well as supported platforms considering sustainable, market-based conditions for stronger manufacturing and partnerships in Africa.

    These include with the European African Business Forum (EABF) and the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacture (PAVM).

     

    The Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM)

    Currently, the African vaccine manufacturing industry develops, produces, and supplies just 1% of vaccine doses needed on the continent.

    The PAVM was established by the African Union in 2021 to work toward enabling the African industry to develop, produce, and supply over 60% of doses needed on the continent by 2040.

    Since 2021, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has worked with stakeholders across the continent to define what’s needed to develop a sustainable vaccine manufacturing industry in Africa.

    European African Business Forum (EABF)

    The EABF has been the main event before AU-EU Summits since 2006. It’s organized jointly by the European Commission, the African Union, and business organizations.

    In 2022, an EABF Declaration representing local and international health industries operating in Africa highlighted the need for conducive business environments. These would enable public-private dialogue, better integration of EU and AU value chains, and the overall strengthening of EU-AU bilateral business relations.

    Overall, there was an emphasis on the need for equal partnership between the EU and AU.

    Africa is ready to move to the next level and the innovative pharmaceutical industry will continue to engage in the development of policies that enhance sustainable local manufacturing on the continent.

    Greg Perry

    Assistant Director General, IFPMA 

    Resilient health systems in Africa

    Public-private partnerships play a critical role in solving global health challenges.

    IFPMA engages with African policy, research, civil society, private sector, national, and public health stakeholders to strive for UHC on the continent. We understand that a multisectoral approach to collaborative innovation is necessary and partnering with private sector to expand access to vital health services is key.

    As African national governments establish people-centered health services, we work to support their efforts in boosting health system resilience. We prioritize strengthening health systems by increasing equitable access to medicines for all, reinforcing capacity for vital services delivery, and propelling innovation and R&D.

    One way or another, the private sector is part and parcel of UHC, and its involvement is critical in delivering it. Pitting public versus private is an unhelpful discussion.

    Dr Githinji Gitahi

    Global CEO, Amref Health Africa and Co-Chair of UHC2030 Steering Committee

    Infographic 22 May 2023

    Advancing universal health coverage in Africa

    Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is at the heart of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is the foundation for both global health security and the health and well-being of all people throughout their lifetimes. Africa’s health systems are essential in delivering the UHC2030 action agenda. Given Africa’s population is expected to double by 2050,...

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    Innovation, trade, and health policies

    Africa is a hotbed of health innovation. African Health stakeholders in partnerships with IFPMA and our members will be key to co-creating a healthy innovation ecosystem, where stakeholders in Africa can catalyze new funds and seed thriving health innovation development.

    Creating a conducive policy environment

    Harmonized legal and regulatory frameworks are needed to enable innovation and collaboration, as well as greater coherence between trade and health policies.

    When policy environments are conducive to innovation and learning new skills, the innovative pharmaceutical industry and African health stakeholders can continue to improve population health in Africa.

    Infographic 23 August 2022

    Increasing Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines in Africa

    This infographic provides an overview of the status of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, outlining issues of inequitable distribution on the continent, factors contributing to this, and policy recommendations to ensure equitable access to vaccines in future. 

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    Trusted partnership and collaboration

    Through partnerships with African policy makers, academia, youth innovators, health stakeholders, and the local biotechnology industry, IFPMA supports a robust research and development ecosystem in Africa.

    This is growing steadily to address multidimensional challenges to accessible and quality health resources and medicines.

     

    Our African partnerships

    African Young Innovators for Health Award

    The Africa Young Innovators for Health Award was created by IFPMA and Speak Up Africa to offer pioneering young health entrepreneurs across Africa financial and in-kind opportunities to bring their game-changing business ideas to life.

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    Women’s Innovation Incubator

    Only one fifth of applications for the Africa Young Innovators for Health Award came from women. Responding to this, IFPMA and Speak Up Africa launched the Women Innovators Incubator program as part of the Award.

    H3D Foundation

    IFPMA has partnered with H3D Foundation to strengthen capacity for health innovation in Africa. This allows the two organizations to combine forces. Together, we focus on driving capacity strengthening for drug discovery and development in Africa by scaling existing initiatives and identifying new development opportunities for young and mid-career scientists in the region.

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    The University of Yaoundé II-IFPMA Chair

    The UYII-IFPMA Chair on “Health and Globalization: Laws, Policies and Market” is an initiative by the University of Yaoundé II, Cameroon, and IFPMA. The Chair’s mission is to develop, organize, and conduct innovative and in-depth research activities and projects in the field of global health.

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    Our engagement with institutions

    African Union

    IFPMA engages with the African Union in several ways but mainly through our engagement and support of the PAVM, prepared under the supervision of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    PAVM is one of the several initiatives that have emerged to support the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Africa.

    IFPMA has actively participated in, led, and contributed to several dialogues and platforms looking at sustainable, market-based solutions for enhancing manufacturing and partnerships in Africa.

    WHO Regional Office for Africa

    As a non-state actor in official relations with the WHO, IFPMA participates in the WHO regional committee for Africa sessions. We actively contribute to regional meetings, representing our members in Africa and globally.

    Through our engagement with WHO AFRO regional office, we continue to reaffirm the innovative pharmaceutical industry’s commitment as natural solutions partner in tackling global health challenges in Africa.

    Fight the Fakes Alliance

    IFPMA is a founding member of the Fight the Fakes Alliance, which raises awareness of the dangers of falsified and substandard medicines and gives a voice to people personally affected by them as well as those working to stop this crime.

    Discover Global Health Progress

    See how the innovative pharmaceutical industry and our partners are achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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