Attending the launch of the initiative, Minister of Health Dr. Mekdes Daba said that Ethiopia is playing a leading role in achieving the African Union's goal of meeting 60 percent of the continent's vaccine needs by 2040. She noted that the government has improved the drug procurement system to prioritize domestically produced products, increasing domestic demand coverage from 8 percent to 42 percent, and is working hard to increase it to 60 percent in the next five years.
The main goal of the initiative is to enable Africa to become not only a vaccine packaging center but also a source of vaccine discovery and research, and to work hard to build an end-to-end ecosystem on the continent, from vaccine discovery and clinical trials to final distribution.
It was also raised during the discussion that this project will not only bring about the necessary technology transfer to enable African scientists to conduct their own research and development (R&D) work, but will also be of great benefit to Africa, as a technology owner in the field of vaccines and treatments, enabling it to become self-sufficient and ensure the sustainable health security of its citizens.