EU & Member States Contribute Over $800M to African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator

The European Union (EU) and its member states recently announced a contribution of more than $800 million, including about $233 million from the EU budget to the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA). AVMA, which complements the existing Team Europe initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines, and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+), will work to enhance the predictability of demand for vaccines made in Africa.

Developed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance together with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) will help support sustainable growth of Africa’s manufacturing base and “contribute to the African Union's ambition to produce most vaccines required by African countries on the continent,” according to the European Commission (EC).

The accelerator is expected to purchase more than 800 million doses produced in Africa over the next 10 years, potentially improving African pandemic and outbreak preparedness and response, while also supporting health security globally. “For these purposes, it will make more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion) available to manufacturers as a way of offsetting high start-up costs and providing assurance of demand,” according to the EC press release. “The initiative will diversify the set of global vaccine suppliers with a target of at least four African vaccine manufacturers entering the market in a sustainable way.”

Even before this announcement, the EU, its member states, and European financial institutions have invested in Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capacity through its Global Gateway strategy. Using a 360-degree approach, MAV+ — part of the strategy — focuses on the supply, demand, and the enabling environment.

“MAV+ delivers an integrated and comprehensive support package tackling barriers to manufacturing and access to health products and technologies in Africa from all angles,” according to EC. “It places the continent’s own actors and institutions at its heart.”