EU commits €24.5M for WHO’s healthcare initiate in Africa

The European Commissioner for International Partnerships and WHO Director-General have signed a letter of intent for a € 24.5 million EU contribution to the World Health Organisation (WHO), to support the local manufacturing of and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The new initiative is designed to empower African countries and partners such as the African Union to further enable local manufacturing of medical products and health technologies by advancing regulatory convergence across the continent, supporting technology transfer and capacity building for local production, and improving the consolidation of the demand and strategic purchasing of such products. In 2020 - 2021, the EU consolidated its position as the 5th largest WHO contributor with $466 million, confirming its leading role in global health.