NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto has called for accelerated investment in Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity, urging a shift toward health sovereignty and reduced dependence on external supply chains.
Speaking during a high-level AIM2030 breakfast meeting held alongside the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, President Ruto said Africa must urgently build strong and self-sustaining systems for producing medicines, vaccines, and other critical health products.
The President warned that the continent remains overly exposed to global supply shocks despite carrying a disproportionate disease burden.
“Africa bears nearly 25 per cent of the global disease burden but produces less than 6 per cent of its medical supplies,” he said, underscoring the structural imbalance in global health production and access.
He stressed that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep vulnerabilities in Africa’s health systems, particularly in procurement and distribution of essential medical supplies. According to him, the lesson is clear: Africa must produce more of what it consumes.
President Ruto pushed for faster implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and full operationalisation of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). He said both frameworks are critical in harmonising regulations, expanding market access, and enabling scale for local manufacturers.
He added that coordinated continental investments are needed to create predictable demand, reduce production costs, and attract private capital into the pharmaceutical sector.
Through the initiative referenced as AIM2030, the President said Africa is now taking deliberate steps toward building a healthcare ecosystem designed and sustained within the continent.
Kenya, he said, is positioning itself as a regional hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical supply chains. He pointed to ongoing regulatory reforms, infrastructure expansion, and targeted investments aimed at strengthening local production capacity.
The push aligns with Kenya’s broader industrialisation agenda, which seeks to grow domestic value chains in health, manufacturing, and innovation sectors. The Ministry of Health has, in recent years, supported reforms intended to attract investors into local drug production and reduce import dependency.
President Ruto also urged development partners, governments, and the private sector to shift from policy commitments to implementation. He called for financing models that support scalable and bankable health infrastructure projects capable of transforming Africa’s healthcare landscape.
He emphasized that stronger manufacturing ecosystems would not only improve health security but also generate jobs, expand industrial capacity, and stimulate long-term economic growth across the continent.
The Africa Forward Summit discussions, including AIM2030 engagements, reflect a growing continental push to integrate health security into broader economic transformation frameworks.
As the discussions continue, Kenya is expected to play a leading role in shaping regional pharmaceutical policy and investment pathways, leveraging its strategic position and existing industrial base.
President Ruto’s message reinforced a broader continental ambition: to reduce reliance on imports and build a resilient African health production system capable of responding to future crises.
