ADDIS ABABA – The African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has set an ambitious target to fulfill 60 percent of the continent’s vaccine requirements through local production by the year 2040. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance the resilience and self-sufficiency of Africa’s healthcare infrastructure.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Director General of Africa CDC, outlined the agency’s commitment to tackling the significant public health challenges posed by both communicable and non-communicable diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Cholera, and Ebola, which have a profound impact on the continent’s productive population.
The Africa CDC, a key institution of the African Union dedicated to supporting the public health initiatives of its member states and strengthening their capacity to manage disease threats, is spearheading efforts to promote local vaccine production. This includes enhancing testing capacities and improving access to healthcare services. Dr. Kaseya highlighted the initiative’s aim to create a robust and self-reliant healthcare system for Africa, with an emphasis on achieving a minimum of 60 percent vaccine self-sufficiency by 2040.
While the vaccine production program is still in its initial phase, it has already registered significant milestones, according to Dr. Kaseya. He underscored the critical need for continued advancement in vaccine manufacturing as a step towards Africa’s autonomy in pharmaceutical supplies.
Dr. Kaseya called on African nations to bolster local pharmaceutical companies beyond social, economic, and political considerations. Achieving the ambitious goals set by the Africa CDC, he noted, hinges on the comprehensive support provided to drug manufacturing entities across the continent. By doing so, Africa aims to secure a sustainable supply of essential medications and vaccines, ensuring the long-term health and well-being of its populations.
MAKUENI COUNTY – Mango farmers in Makueni County are facing significant exploitation due to the lack of a ready market for their produce, leading to them selling their commodities to middlemen at low prices. These middlemen then sell the mangoes at much higher prices elsewhere, profiting from the farmers’ plight. The issue has been exacerbated this season despite high yields among the local farmers.
According to Kenya News Agency, the county chief officer for agriculture, the search for a reliable market for mango farmers in Makueni continues to be fruitless. During the launch of the Faidika Project at the Kwa Kathoka Agricultural Training Centre, Kiminza revealed that the county government can only purchase a small fraction of the produce, which is then transported to the Kalamba Fruit Processing Plant within the area. “Last year, the county government was able to buy only 6 percent of the mangoes from the farmers. The rest, 94 percent, was purchased by middlemen at the low price of Sh8 per piece, while other fruits rotted in the farms,” he stated.
The Faidika Project, funded by USAID, the Young Africans Leaders Initiative (YALI), and the Chyulu Foundation, aims to enhance the fruit value chain and ensure market access for fruit farmers in Makueni County. It seeks to improve farm-level fruit farming productivity and profitability. Kiminza assured farmers that the government would explore new markets and enhance creative innovation and value addition to reduce further losses.
Additionally, Kiminza acknowledged the efforts of the Texas Company, which has been purchasing spoiled mangoes from local farmers, helping to mitigate some of the financial losses they face. George Kimani, a mango specialist in the county, pointed out that local mangoes often fail to meet the European Union market standards due to the use of harmful chemicals, the impact of fruit flies, and other diseases. In response, mango stakeholders in the county have initiated a campaign to establish Fruit Fly Free Zones (FFFZ) in Makueni, aiming to improve the quality of the produce and access to international markets.