President William Ruto has called on African nations to urgently scale up local manufacturing of health commodities, warning that continued dependence on imports threatens the continent’s health security and sovereignty.
Speaking during a Presidential Roundtable on Local Manufacturing of Health Commodities held on the sidelines of the 39th Ordinary Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa on Saturday 14th 2026, the President said Africa must act with speed to secure its health future.
President Ruto co-hosted the high-level meeting with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), where leaders explored strategies to boost domestic production of medicines, vaccines and other critical medical supplies.
He said Africa can no longer afford to rely heavily on imported health products, noting that such dependence exposes countries to sub-standard and falsified commodities, inflated costs, supply chain disruptions and unsustainable pressure on already stretched national health budgets.
“Local manufacturing of health products is no longer a goal we can postpone; it is an urgent priority. It sits at the heart of Africa’s health security and sovereignty agenda,” President Ruto said.
The President pointed out that if Africa were to manufacture just half of the health commodities it currently imports, the continent could save between $30 billion and $50 billion annually.
Such savings, he noted, would significantly improve product availability, secure better prices, create jobs for African professionals and strengthen domestic industries.
He emphasised that the newly launched African Pooled Procurement Mechanism through Africa CDC will help address market fragmentation by aggregating demand across countries.
This, he said, is critical to ensuring that local manufacturers have predictable and consolidated markets to scale production and remain viable.
“Local manufacturers cannot scale or remain viable without predictable and aggregated markets,” he said.
President Ruto further challenged African states to break the long-standing cycle of exporting raw materials while importing finished products at higher costs.
He urged governments to invest in regional value chains and harmonised standards to enable Africa to manufacture competitively for its continental market.
He lamented also underscored the importance of consistent investment in research and development, saying innovation is essential to achieving long-term independence in health production.
The President called on African governments to provide an enabling environment through sound policies, reliable infrastructure, effective regulation and affordable financing.
He identified reliable energy, modern logistics systems and access to capital as key drivers of a robust manufacturing sector.
President Ruto urged continental financial institutions, including the African Development Bank and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), to move beyond commitments and convert pledges into practical, bankable projects that directly support manufacturers.
He also cautioned that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) hinges on strong local production.
“The African Continental Free Trade Area must be powered by African production. Without strong local manufacturing, it risks becoming a channel for imports rather than a driver of African industry,” he warned.
President Ruto at the same time proposed the convening of an extraordinary African Union summit later this year to review progress and strengthen partnerships.
The proposed summit would focus on achieving the target of producing at least 60 per cent of Africa’s health products locally by 2040.
Africa CDC Director General Dr Jean Kaseya echoed the President’s call, urging African states to sign on to the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism to solidify the continental market and enhance the capacity of regulatory agencies.
He said strengthened regulatory systems would help control prices and ensure the quality of health commodities manufactured in Africa.
The roundtable underscored growing consensus among African leaders that local manufacturing is central to safeguarding the continent against future health crises, stabilising supply chains and reducing external dependency.
