Driving improved health outcomes at the Africa Health Agenda International Conference
Strengthening vaccine research and manufacturing in the Global South is critical to saving lives, fostering resilience, and ensuring health security. This is particularly true in Africa, where only 1% of the vaccines used on the continent are produced locally.
From March 2 to 5, 2025, experts will come together for the 6th Africa Health Agenda International Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, to share innovations and strategies that drive improved health outcomes in Africa. Hosted by Amref Health Africa, this year’s conference will address vaccine insufficiencies, climate change, and other sustainable development challenges.
As part of the conference, IDRC will host a hybrid roundtable discussion on understanding the private sector’s role in catalyzing Africa’s vaccine innovation ecosystem. This will be the third session in a series of discussions on advancing vaccine research and mobilization in Africa, taking place on March 4 in Kigali and online. Free registration for this event is available here. Session one and session two are also available to watch online.
IDRC is a key supporter of vaccine research and development in Africa, supporting research that aims to reduce dependency on outside manufacturing revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. African leaders aim to produce 60% of all vaccines locally by 2040.
IDRC-supported initiatives that contribute to these efforts include:
- Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, led by the African Health Economics and Policy Association in collaboration with Africa CDC and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. This project aims to improve African capacity for research and development, strengthen its contributions to global diplomacy for fair vaccine trade agreements and, in selected countries, improve the distribution, delivery and administration of COVID-19 vaccines.
- A global-first vaccine trial for the Sudan Ebola virus. Made possible by African leadership, advanced research preparedness, and collaboration among Uganda’s health workers, global partners, and hundreds of scientists, this project is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada, paving the way for the grantee, WHO, to support the leadership of Uganda’s Ministry of Health and Makerere University and jointly implement the trial.
