In a major boost to global health security, the European Union and its Member States announced a contribution exceeding US$800 million to the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), unveiled today in Paris. The commitment includes US$233 million from the EU budget, underscoring Europe’s support for enhancing Africa’s vaccine production capacity.
“This significant Team Europe investment of over US$800 million reaffirms our commitment to supporting Africa’s health autonomy and global preparedness against future health threats,” stated Jutta Urpilainen, the European Commissioner for International Partnerships.
The AVMA, an innovative instrument developed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), aims to increase the predictability of demand for vaccines made in Africa and support the sustainable growth of Africa’s manufacturing base. The EU and its Member States—France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Luxembourg—are the largest contributors to this initiative, further complementing the Team Europe initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+).
Caroline Gennez, Belgian minister for Development Cooperation and Major Cities, emphasized the partnership’s significance: “After a successful Team Europe mission to the African Union and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Addis Abeba, and an AU-EU high-level meeting on health in Brussels, this major European investment in the newly launched African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) is another concrete step towards solidifying that partnership. This package will help to further strengthen Africa’s own vaccine manufacturing, thereby ensuring better health outcomes for Africans and Europeans. Because Europe will only be safe and healthy, if Africa is safe and healthy.”
The AVMA is expected to purchase more than 800 million doses produced in Africa over the next decade, improving the continent’s pandemic and outbreak preparedness and response. To support manufacturers, the initiative will make up to US$1 billion available to offset high start-up costs and provide assurance of demand. This will diversify global vaccine suppliers, with at least four African vaccine manufacturers entering the market sustainably.
Supporting vaccine production while promoting equitable access to essential health products, technologies, and primary healthcare services targets several development objectives and geopolitical priorities shared by the EU and the African Union. These include job creation, diversification of global value chains, and innovation.
As part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, the EU, its Member States, and European financial institutions have been strongly investing in boosting Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capacity. The Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+) aims to create an enabling environment for the industry, train a skilled workforce, strengthen regulatory frameworks, and support African research and technology transfer. Including the AVMA contribution, Team Europe is dedicating around €2 billion to this agenda, in collaboration with African and international partners.
