Africa Initiative for Medical Access and Manufacturing (AIM2030) Launch was officially launched in Nairobi on May 12, 2026, bringing together African leaders, global health institutions, development financiers, and private sector stakeholders in a landmark push to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce Africa’s heavy dependence on imported medical products.
The high-level event was headlined by William Ruto, who delivered the keynote address, alongside remarks from Makhtar Diop, Mohamed Yakub Janabi, Aden Duale, and Mary Muthoni. The session was moderated by Ouma Oluga.
The initiative comes amid growing concern over Africa’s dependence on imported medicines and vaccines. According to organizers, African countries currently import between 70 and 100 percent of finished pharmaceutical products, while nearly 99 percent of vaccines used across the continent are manufactured outside Africa.
Speakers at the launch noted that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks associated with overreliance on global supply chains, including export restrictions, supply disruptions, and price shocks that left many African countries vulnerable during health emergencies.
“AIM2030 is about supporting Africa’s ambition to double pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity by 2030 through stronger regional manufacturing and supply chains,” said IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop.
“Resilience cannot be imported in the middle of a crisis. It must be built in advance. This is about health security, but it is also about jobs, investment, industrial growth, and economic resilience,” he added.
The initiative aims to strengthen local manufacturing of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and other essential medical products while supporting the World Bank Group target of delivering affordable and quality healthcare services to 1.5 billion additional people by 2030.
Under AIM2030, stakeholders seek to double local production of key health products across Africa, create skilled jobs, attract private investment, and improve long-term access to affordable healthcare commodities.
The programme will initially focus on scaling pharmaceutical manufacturing in nine countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa.
The initiative is spearheaded jointly by the World Bank Group and the African Union Commission, with support from regional bodies including Africa CDC and the Africa Medicines Agency.
Organizers said the initiative will also promote south-to-south collaboration, innovation, regional procurement systems, and stronger trade frameworks aimed at creating a more resilient African healthcare ecosystem.
Health experts at the launch emphasized that stronger local manufacturing would not only improve medicine availability and affordability but also enhance Africa’s preparedness for future pandemics and public health emergencies while driving industrial growth and economic transformation across the continent.
