Ministers of Health, Finance and Trade, experts and development partners in Africa have adopted an approach that would advance healthcare access and industrialisation, and ensure economic and health security on the continent.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) on Friday.
The commission said the approach was geared toward the transitioning of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) anchored Pharmaceutical Initiative (Pharma Initiative) into the start-up Phase of the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM).
The ECA said this was part of the recommendations drawn from the conclusion of a three-day meeting held in Mombasa, Kenya.
“The ministers agreed that the APPM, led by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Afreximbank and ECA will facilitate the seamless transition of the Initiative into the startup phase.
“ECA, Africa CDC and Afreximbank will also initiate pooled procurement of the products already selected under the Pharma Initiative, gradually expanding to include more products and manufacturers.
“African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) will accelerate the operationalisation of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) to enhance access to quality, safe, and affordable medical products across the continent,” it said.
The Director of, Regional Integration and Trade Division at ECA, Dr Stephen Karingi said that the APPM will provide a collaborating framework of common regulatory and quality standards.
According to Karingi, this will ensure that pharmaceutical drugs and products are effective, affordable, and safe.
“Linking this health initiative to AfCFTA and AMA presents great opportunities with a potential to change lives, reduce poverty, and contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic development for the continent.
“Implementation of the Pharma Initiative is geared toward fostering inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development.
“Through a single market of approximately 1.4 billion African people who continually face disproportionate impacts of diseases and high costs of importation of critical life-saving health products,” Karingi said.
Similarly, the Acting Coordinator of, the Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), Dr Abebe Bayih said the APPM would be anchored on localised pharmaceutical production, pharmaceutical pooled procurement, and a harmonised regulatory and quality standard framework.
Bayih said the focus in the start-up phase of the APPM would also include Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (SRMNCH).
“This is to showcase a proof of concept in the ten African countries from the Pharma initiative; Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, and Sudan.
“A pooled procurement of a minimum of five SRMNCH medicines is an important part of the startup phase of the APPM.
“The successful execution of the SRMNCH pooled procurement in the start-up phase will provide credible and reliable evidence to stakeholders and will create the impetus for the scale up phase,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Director, of Banking Operations at Afreximbank, Kwabena Ayirebi emphasised the importance of risk assessment and foreign currency integration in financing African healthcare.
Ayirebi reaffirmed the bank’s willingness to support the initiative and move quickly to ensure its success in the area of financing and any other immediate implementation needs.
For his part, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Seychelles, Bernard Valentin highlighted the need to minimise the risk associated with falsified and substandard medicines in the African market.
Valentin also reiterated the need to ensure quality, safe and affordable medicine and medical devices in Africa.
Tom Mende from Kenya’s Ministry of Health said the initiative would prevent the negative consequences of competitive buying and ensure compliance with public procurement laws in Kenya.
Mende said it was important to ensure countries had national medical record systems to fill in the data gaps on the continent and for reliable access to information.
APPM is the result of a decision of the African Union Summit, where the Heads of State and Government recognised the need to establish the pooled procurement mechanism.
This is under the leadership of Africa CDC and they endorsed the AMSP as the platform for the mechanism.
Consequently, the AfCFTA-anchored Pharma Initiative is now being implemented in the APPM.
The three-day meeting is jointly organised by the ECA, Africa CDC, AUDA-NEPAD and partners.
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