French President Emmanuel Macron has partnered with various African leaders to launch a $1.1bn initiative aimed at expediting vaccine production in Africa, in response to disparities in vaccine access revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator at an event in Paris on Thursday promises financial incentives to support local vaccine production on the continent.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, praised the effort, describing it as a potential catalyst for advancing Africa's pharmaceutical industry and promoting cooperation among member nations.

Mahamat highlighted that Africa imports “99 percent of its vaccines at a high cost.”

Macron emphasized that the initiative is “a crucial step toward establishing a true African vaccine market.”

The European Union declared that it, along with its member states, would contribute $800m towards the vaccine manufacturing programme. The scheme aims to mitigate start-up costs and guarantee demand for vaccines produced in Africa.

The EU stated that the approach would foster sustainable growth in Africa's manufacturing sector and help the African Union's goal of making the majority of vaccines needed by African nations within the continent.

Many African leaders and advocacy groups argued that Africa was unfairly excluded from obtaining tools to combat COVID-19—such as treatments, vaccines, and testing equipment—which wealthier countries procured in large quantities once the pandemic was declared in 2020.

Helen Rees, Executive Director of Wits RHI at the University of the Witwatersrand, noted the inequity revealed by the COVID pandemic in vaccine access.

Rees explained that by the time Africa had good vaccine access, many countries had already experienced COVID outbreaks and gained natural immunity, causing the vaccines' impact to be reduced because they arrived too late.

“COVID initiated a conversation about access to vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics,” she said. “This conversation focuses on equity and enhancing access in the African region.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) and advocacy groups aim to better prepare Africa for the next pandemic, which health experts believe is inevitable.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of learning from past delays, stating, “Delays in getting vaccines to low-income countries and communities cost lives. We cannot let this happen again, and it will happen again.”

When the COVID pandemic began, South Africa was the only country in Africa capable of vaccine production, making the continent's contribution to global vaccine production negligible.

The WHO’s attempt to forge a “pandemic treaty”—meant to enhance preparedness and response to pandemics—stalled last month, due to disagreements on sharing pathogen information and high-tech tools to combat them.

Negotiations will continue with hopes of finalizing the treaty by the WHO's next annual meeting in 2025.

Thursday’s event in Paris, attended by leaders from Botswana, Rwanda, Senegal, and Ghana, also sought to secure funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Gavi is a public-private partnership aiming to deliver necessary vaccines to developing countries worldwide.

Gavi is seeking $9bn to enhance its vaccination programmes in poorer countries from 2026 to 2030.

Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar mentioned that the organization intends to act faster and provide more vaccines, with plans to expand malaria vaccine distribution, which commenced in Cameroon this year.

Nishtar told Reuters ahead of the meeting that Gavi aims to reach “the highest number of children, protecting them against the widest range of diseases in the shortest time possible.”