The economic case for investing in Africa’s health R&D

28 SEPTEMBER 2026 – Investing in health R&D can strengthen Africa’s economies and help countries build future technologies rather than rely on imports, argue Andrew Tuttle of Global Health Ecosystems and Dr Mosoka Fallah of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

When Ebola returns, as it has again this year in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, the immediate focus is rightly on containing the outbreak and saving lives. But anyone who has worked on the front line of an epidemic knows the outcome depends on decisions made years before the first patient is diagnosed.

High-quality, safe laboratories cannot be built in the middle of an outbreak. Seasoned researchers cannot be trained overnight. Clinical-trial networks, regulatory systems and manufacturing capacity cannot simply be switched on once a virus crosses a border.

Inside Gavi’s $189 million plan to boost Africa’s vaccine ecosystem

15 JUNE 2026 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance wants to inject $189 million into Africa’s vaccine production ecosystem, hoping to bolster its African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator amid a tight financial climate.

The proposal, dubbed AVMA+, aims to strengthen Africa’s regulatory network and make it easier for governments to buy vaccines, and guarantees direct sales for up to 70 million vaccines made on the continent. Gavi announced the plan in May, and its board will consider it in July.

“Some of the funding will go to ensure that the ecosystem is fully operational, especially regulatory, because without that, the manufacturers cannot be sustainable,” said Petro Terblanche, CEO of Afrigen Biologics, a South African biotech startup working on mRNA-based vaccines.

West African Biomanufacturing Regulation & Market Access Conference

27 MARCH2026 – This week, AVMI participated in the West African Biomanufacturing Regulation & Market Access Conference, hosted by AMA, Africa CDC, NVI Ghana and GIZ Ghana contributing to critical discussions on the future of biomanufacturing on the continent.

AVMI Board Member Assietou Diouf addressed two key questions facing the sector

Global Health Coffee Sessions

Models of Global Collaboration: Practical Approaches to Vaccine Access and Governance

31 October 2025 – The evolving landscape of global health funding and shifting priorities are redefining how we work together. Countries are reshaping how they address the direct impact on critical health infrastructure by strengthening new and existing collaborations between governments and the private sector. Vaccine delivery is one area where these partnerships are already achieving positive results.

Speakers:

Juliet Nabyonga-Orem, MBChB, MSc, PhD
Health Systems Advisor, Participatory Governance & Policy, WHO Namibia

William K. Ampofo, PhD
Executive Director, African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative

President Mahama allocates $50M to support Ghana’s Vaccines Research, Manufacturing & Capacity Development agenda.

10 September 2025 – The Ghana Vaccine Manufacturing Investment Forum was held in Accra, Ghana, on August 6, 2025, hosted by the Ministry of Health (MoH) through the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and with support from the PharmaVax Ghana programme. It brought together over 200 participants to discuss and mobilise funding to address the immediate, and long-term financing needs of Ghana’s vaccine development and manufacturing sector.

WHO Africa, International Vaccine Institute sign agreement to boost vaccine production in Africa

27 AUGUST 2025 – Lusaka – The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen their strategic collaboration in support of vaccine equity, local production, and health innovation across the region.

Signed on the sidelines of the Seventy-fifth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, held in Lusaka, Zambia from 25 to 27 August 2025, the MoU reflects a shared commitment to strengthening regional capacity for vaccine research, development and manufacturing—critical pillars for health sovereignty and pandemic preparedness.

President Tinubu Congratulates NAFDAC on Maintaining Who Maturity Level 3 for Regulation of Medicines and Vaccines

11 AUGUST 2025 – President Bola Tinubu congratulates the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on retaining the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status for the regulation of medicines and vaccines.

The global health regulatory body conducted a re-benchmarking exercise from May 28 to May 30, 2025, assessing NAFDAC against globally recognised standards for regulatory performance.

“Wake Up, Africa”: Obasanjo Blasts Leaders for Aid Dependence, Economic Ignorance, and Stalled Growth

28 JUNE 2025 – Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has issued a scathing critique of Nigeria and several African nations, accusing them of poor leadership, an unhealthy dependence on foreign aid, and a failure to grow democratic institutions.

Millions of children at risk as vaccine uptake stalls

25 JUNE 2025 – Progress in vaccinating children against a variety of life-threatening diseases has stalled in the past two decades – and even gone backwards in some countries – a new global study suggests.

The situation has been made worse by the Covid pandemic, leaving millions of children unprotected from diseases such as measles, tuberculosis and polio.

The researchers are calling for a concerted effort to provide better and more equal access to vaccines.

Gavi statement in response to comments made by the United States Secretary for Health and Human Services at the Global Summit: Health and Prosperity through Immunisation, Brussels, 25 June 2025

25 JUNE 2025 – Gavi appreciates U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s acknowledgment of the progress Gavi has made, in partnership with the United States and other donors, towards making vaccines available in low-income countries.

Gates foundation to commit $1.6 billion for Gavi vaccine alliance

24 JUNE 2025 – The Gates Foundation said on Tuesday it will commit $1.6 billion over the next five years to support Gavi, a public-private partnership that helps buy vaccines for the world’s poorest children.

The number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year because of the massive cuts to foreign aid, Bill Gates, the chair of the foundation, said in a statement, adding that funding Gavi was the single most powerful step to stop it.

AfDB unveils $6 billion plan to boost health infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing in Africa 

29 MAY 2025 – The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group is implementing a $6 billion investment plan to transform Africa’s healthcare landscape and strengthen health systems across the continent.