Africa CDC and top local drugmaker Aspen in vaccine supply talks

Africa’s leading public health agency is in advanced talks with Aspen Pharmacare Holdings to ensure there is long-term demand for vaccines made on the continent, part of a push to cut dependence on imports and strengthen local manufacturing.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and Aspen said the discussions, announced Tuesday on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit, aim to create a multi-year demand and supply framework to support sustainable vaccine production.

Africa still imports most of its vaccines, despite consuming more than a billion doses annually. The proposed partnership seeks to give manufacturers clearer visibility on future demand — a key hurdle to investment in local capacity.

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The initial focus of the discussions is on priority vaccines, scaling up supply over time to potentially hundreds of millions of doses and setting competitive, sustainable pricing.

“This is about translating Africa’s vaccine manufacturing ambitions into sustainable market realities,” Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said.

For Aspen, the continent’s largest drugmaker, the talks could help revive its vaccine push after Covid-19 setbacks, when it struggled to secure orders despite having production capacity.

Chief Executive Stephen Saad said Aspen can scale output from its Gqeberha facility on South Africa’s south coast following major investments, and leverage a supply network that distributes medicines to more than 115 countries.

The two parties are also exploring pooled procurement and financing tools, including the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism, as part of broader efforts to build a more self-sufficient health system.

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