President William Ruto has urged African Union Member States to create and accelerate an enabling environment for vaccine manufacturing in the continent.
He said vaccine manufacturing can be achieved by mobilising adequate resources, sharing knowledge, expertise, technology and best practices.
“It is necessary for African leaders to mobilise adequate investments in local vaccine industries. I stand before you to confirm that you can count on Kenya to translate this commitment into decisive actions and visible results in the coming months,” he said.
Ruto made the remarks during an event co-hosted by Kenya and the International Vaccine Institute on the sidelines of the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 18, 2024.
Ruto added that Africa must also promote equitable vaccine distribution globally based on the need to save lives, not greed for profit.
“Local production of vaccines makes it feasible to ensure equity in distribution among Member States, bearing in mind that no one is safe until everyone is safe. It is crucial to ensure that vaccines are available and accessible to all, without exclusion or discrimination, regardless of nationality, wealth or social status,” he stated.
Ruto said the time had come for the African Union Member States to take bold and decisive steps in implementing home-grown solutions to the continent’s health security challenges.
“Strong political will and commitment is necessary to intensify and sustain investments in healthcare infrastructure, human capital and institutional frameworks,” he said.
Ruto added that Kenya is committed to working in close collaboration with valued partners, including the African Union Commission, Africa CDC, the African Medicines Agency, the World Health Organisation, IVI and other regional and international stakeholders.
Ruto pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the grave vulnerabilities inherent in global healthcare systems, graphically exposing glaring inequalities in access to life-saving diagnostics, medicines and vaccines.
“This unacceptable situation has been worsened by arbitrary and unequal distribution supplies, vaccine nationalism and our continent's over-reliance on external sources to mount an effective response to an existential global crisis,” he said.
Ruto recalled the m-pox (formerly known as monkeypox) crisis which plagued Africa during the pandemic in 2020, yet received no international attention until cases began to spread beyond the continent.
“Only then did vaccines become available even though, four years later, not a single dose of the vaccine has reached Africa. This is unacceptable in 2024,” he said.
