African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called for African pharmaceutical sovereignty, saying the continent could no longer depend on global health systems that had failed to develop vaccines and treatments for diseases mainly affecting Africa.

Speaking today in Addis Ababa, Youssouf pointed to the Ebola Bundibugyo virus as an example of 'inequality' in global medical research and production.

"It is unacceptable that 19 years after the identification of the Ebola virus, the world still has neither an approved vaccine nor a specific treatment against this strain because this disease has not affected the Western world. This reality must challenge us collectively. Our populations must no longer depend exclusively on the funding priorities, supply chains, and production capacities of other regions of the world to protect their health and lives. That is why this crisis must accelerate our agenda for African health sovereignty. The African Union will remain fully mobilised alongside Africa CDC, member states, and all committed partners to put an end to this epidemic and build a more resilient, stronger, and more sovereign Africa."