African Union leaders have adopted a presidential declaration committing member states to scale up local manufacturing of health products.

The move is part of Africa’s health security agenda and sets a continental target for Africa to meet at least 60% of its health product needs through local production by 2040. 

The declaration was adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union and was issued in collaboration with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). 

The declaration recognises the local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, diagnostics, and medical devices as a strategic pillar for Africa's health security and sovereignty while also acknowledging the Africa CDC's role in advancing the Platform for Harmonised African Health Products Manufacturing and operationalising the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM). 

Leaders committed themselves to advancing the local manufacturing of health products as a continental priority while also supporting the full operationalisation of the APPM, which the declaration frames as a "Buy Africa" tool meant to drive demand aggregation, market shaping, and long-term offtake arrangements. 

The statement says the mechanism is intended to increase access to quality-assured health products and to promote predictable and sustainable markets for African manufacturers, an approach aimed at improving supply reliability and strengthening local industry.