African leaders urge acceleration of regional drug production to reduce reliance on imports

African countries have been urged to accelerate regional pharmaceutical manufacturing as the continent moves to reduce its heavy dependence on imported medicines and vaccines, with experts warning that fragmented markets and regulatory barriers continue to undermine health security. Speaking during the IGAD Community of Practice for Local Manufacturing meeting, health leaders said Africa still imports about 80 per cent of its medicines and 99 per cent of its vaccines, leaving millions vulnerable during global health emergencies. They called for countries to pool regional markets, harmonise regulations and increase investment to achieve the African Union's target of producing 60 per cent of the continent's health products locally by 2040. Chair of the Community of Practice for Local Manufacturing Dr Stephen Njuguna said individual countries would struggle to sustain pharmaceutical industries on their own because manufacturing requires substantial investment and dependable markets.