Africa is expanding manufacturing capacity, with South Africa’s Biovac launching a phase 1 cholera vaccine safety trial after a technology transfer, and Aspen Pharmacare supplying hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses, illustrating rising regional impact.

The EU pushes for rapid access to pathogens and sequence data while seeking acceptable benefit-sharing obligations for manufacturers, favoring contractual commitments that are voluntary yet legally binding once agreed to avoid stalling research and scale-up.

Under the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, rapid pathogen sharing and equitable allocation would be required, with contracts directing 20% of pandemic vaccines, diagnostics, and therapies to WHO, at least 10% donated, and the rest priced affordably.

The WHO intends to reconvene negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement in late April to early May 2026 to push for stronger global cooperation and equity in prevention, preparedness, and response.

EU concerns center on operationalizing technology transfer to low- and middle-income countries, addressing implementation across diverse jurisdictions, and ensuring ongoing industry participation.

Africa’s vaccine production capacity is expanding, with countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, and Ethiopia preparing to manufacture vaccines, aiming for about 60% self-sufficiency by 2040 as part of broader development goals.

Analysts say equitable access depends on turning any agreement into real-world, intra- and inter-country equity in vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, learning from COVID-19 gaps and ensuring sustained global collaboration.