During the webinar ‘African Industrial Capacity Towards Critical Pharmaceutical and Medical Supplies’, organized in April by the African Union Development Agency AUDA-NEPAD, issues were discussed related to stimulating local production and distributing essential medical supplies. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated that local production does not have the capacity to meet the growing demand for medicines. At the same time, the current crisis presents enormous opportunities for Africa in terms of revitalizing local producers, the participants in the webinar concluded.

During the meeting, recommendations were provided
to combat the spread and subsequent negative effects of the coronavirus
infection, including the search for new mechanisms for financing producers,
building an innovative supply chain and strengthening the potential of local
production via state policy focused on the use of local goods.