Africa is accelerating efforts to build its own pharmaceutical industry as reliance on imported medicines continues to expose the continent to supply shocks and high costs. Currently, the continent imports over 70% of its medicines and 99% of its vaccines, mostly from India and China. Due to this reliance, Africa faces frequent shortages and delayed access to new treatments. To break this cycle, the African Union is harmonizing regulations and pooling procurement to guarantee demand for local factories. While most producers currently focus on packaging rather than raw ingredients, new hubs in Egypt, South Africa, and Rwanda are moving upstream into high-value manufacturing and mRNA technology. This strategic shift aims to ensure that by 2040, 60% of all vaccines and drugs used by Africans are manufactured on the continent.
African Business
