Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stated that local manufacturing of health products has become a strategic necessity for African health sovereignty. Speaking at a presidential roundtable on health manufacturing in Addis Ababa, on the sidelines of the African Union Summit, he emphasized reducing dependence on external sources through local production of vaccines and medicines. He highlighted that the Egyptian Drug Authority is the first in Africa to achieve WHO maturity level 3 for medicines and vaccines.
During his address at the presidential roundtable in Addis Ababa on Saturday, Abdelatty explained that Africa's health security relies on the continent's ability to produce vaccines and medicines locally to reduce 'excessive dependence' on external sources. He noted that the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) is the first African regulator to reach World Health Organization (WHO) maturity level 3 for both medicines and vaccines, and it is advancing toward level 4. Egypt is prepared to share this expertise continent-wide to standardize regulations and speed up sustainable local production. The minister urged African countries that have not ratified the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency (AMA) to do so immediately, calling it a 'continental tool for sovereignty' that would create a unified regulatory framework, lower costs, and improve the reliability of African pharmaceutical products. 'The success of these efforts requires an integrated continental framework that combines effective regulation, sustainable financing, and guaranteed demand,' Abdelatty said. He added that Egypt's manufacturing capabilities are ready to meet continental demands for medicines, vaccines, and plasma derivatives. He also stressed the need to facilitate intra-African pharmaceutical trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and COMESA frameworks to promote industrial integration.