The Tripoli based Libyan Ministry of Health presented its vision to enhance Libya’s role in localising vaccine manufacturing within the International Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative. The initiative aims to possess the appropriate tools and necessary funding to build the capacity to produce and manufacture vaccines. This came during discussions of the Libyan Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Hospital Affairs with the Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI).
This came on the sidelines of the meeting attended by the President of the Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, on Sunday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mohamed Issa, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Hospital Affairs, Saad Al-Din Abdel Wakil.
The meeting is organized by the Government of Kenya, in cooperation with the IVI and the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Samoi Ruto, on the sidelines of the 37th session of the African Union Council.
Vision: Africa to produce 60 percent of its vaccines by 2040
The Libyan Ministry of Health says its vaccine vision comes in line with the African trend towards localising the vaccine industry on the continent. This entails supporting the action plan of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which aims to empower the vaccine industry by developing a framework that will enable Africa to manufacture 60% of its vaccine needs locally by the year 2040. This is especially since African countries depend almost entirely on imports from abroad, as the continent produces only 1% of its total vaccine needs.
