West African leaders and health experts are calling for urgent regional cooperation to boost local vaccine production and reduce the continent’s reliance on imported vaccines, which currently exceed 95% of supply.
Speaking at the West Africa Bio-manufacturing Regulation and Market Access Conference in Accra, H.E. Dr. Delese Darko, Director-General of the African Medicines Agency, emphasized that harmonised regional frameworks are essential to achieving Africa’s 2040 vaccine production goals.
“Vaccines produced in one country should be trusted and accepted across the region without unnecessary bureaucratic delays,” Dr. Darko said. The goal is to ensure that local biologics, vaccines, and gene therapies can reach multiple markets quickly and efficiently.
The forum highlighted strategies such as joint regulatory assessments, common technical standards, and the alignment of national laws to regional frameworks. ECOWAS and the West African Health Organization (WAHO) are leading policy and technical coordination, drawing lessons from the West Africa Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (WA-MRH) initiative.
Dr. Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, CEO of the National Vaccines Institute (NVI), acknowledged challenges such as fragmented legal systems, language differences, and infrastructure gaps. Saviour Yevutse, Director of Pharmaceutical Services at Ghana’s Health Ministry, urged stronger political commitment: “The region must move beyond communiqués and develop a concrete roadmap for procurement and market access.”
Conclusion:
The forum concluded that building local vaccine and biomanufacturing capacity is critical to Africa’s health security. Harmonised regulations, regional collaboration, and investment in regulatory and manufacturing capacity will be key to reducing dependence on imports and ensuring timely access to life-saving vaccines and biologics.
