President Hakainde Hichilema has called for decisive action to end Africa’s dependence on external vaccines and medicines.
President Hichilema says health sovereignty is critical to the continent’s development and human security.
The President was speaking at the launch of ACHIEVE Africa, the continent’s research and development engine for vaccine and therapeutic sovereignty in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
President Hichilema said Africa’s experience with cholera and COVID-19 exposed serious global supply chain failures that left African countries at the back of the queue.
He said Africa represents about 25 percent of global vaccine demand but produces only one percent, a gap he described as unacceptable.
The President stressed that health sovereignty requires end-to-end capacity, covering research, genomics, vaccine design, clinical trials, regulation, manufacturing, and delivery.
President Hichilema also emphasized the need for regulatory harmonisation, warning that fragmented systems slow access to life-saving medicines.
And Director General of the International Vaccine Institute, Jerome Kim, described ACHIEVE Africa as a timely, African-led initiative aimed at accelerating innovation, equity, and the development of vaccines and biologics.
Dr. Kim said the programme aligns with the African Union’s goal of achieving 60 percent vaccine self-sufficiency by 2040 through strong African political and scientific leadership.
He stressed that recent global health crises highlighted the urgent need for local ownership of research, strengthened infrastructure, advanced technologies, and robust regulatory systems.
And President Hichilema’s Special Adviser on Health and Director General of the Zambia National Public Health Institute, Roma Chilengi, said recent outbreaks such as cholera and COVID-19 have demonstrated that health resilience is inseparable from scientific self-reliance.
Professor Chilengi said ACHIEVE Africa represents a shared continental commitment to empowering African scientists and institutions to respond effectively to Africa’s health priorities.
Zambia served as the convening country for the launch of ACHIEVE Africa, with Ghana, South Africa, Rwanda, Egypt, Ethiopia and Nigeria serving as co-conveners, underscoring a united continental commitment to advancing Africa’s vaccine and therapeutic sovereignty agenda.
This is according to a statement issued to ZNBC News today by First Secretary Press and Tourism at the Zambian Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Hambaya Munang’andu.
