African leaders have reaffirmed their collective commitment to strengthening local manufacturing of health products as a key strategy for health security and sovereignty across the continent.
The declaration was made by Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Health, senior representatives of African Union (AU) member states, and development partners during engagements held on the sidelines of the 39th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In the declaration, the leaders recalled previous AU Assembly decisions on advancing health product manufacturing, pooled procurement, and regulatory harmonisation. They emphasised that local production of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, diagnostics, and medical devices is critical to Africa’s long-term health resilience and independence.
The leaders acknowledged the role of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in driving the Platform for Harmonized African Health Products Manufacturing and in operationalising the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM). They reaffirmed the continent’s target of meeting at least 60 per cent of Africa’s health product needs through local manufacturing by the year 2040.
As part of their commitments, the leaders pledged to prioritise local manufacturing as a continental agenda, fully operationalise the APPM as a “Buy African” initiative, and use pooled demand, market shaping, and long-term offtake arrangements to improve access to quality-assured health products while supporting African manufacturers.
They also committed to mobilising sustainable financing for local manufacturers, including the establishment of an APPM capital fund, and to increasing investments in skills development, innovation, and technology transfer through partnerships and the Africa CDC’s Regional Capacity and Capability Networks.
In addition, the declaration expressed strong support for the convening of an Extraordinary Summit on African Health Products Manufacturing in Nairobi, Kenya, in the second quarter of 2026. The summit will be chaired by Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto, the AU Champion on Local Manufacturing, and co-hosted by Africa CDC, with the aim of accelerating implementation, securing concrete commitments, and sustaining high-level political leadership.
The declaration was formally adopted on February 14, 2026, in Addis Ababa.
