Can Africa’s drug regulators be both fast and trusted?

In 2021, as COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Nigeria under tight security, inspectors from the national drug regulator were racing the clock. Flights were grounded, borders sealed, and site visits to manufacturers were impossible, yet vials had to be cleared for use within days. Similar scenes unfolded across African capitals. Now, with the crisis past its peak, regulators are reckoning with the compromises they made to move fast and the harder work ahead: rebuilding public trust in a system that must respond swiftly in emergencies while staying rooted in safety.

When the first COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out globally in late 2020, the world went from identifying a new virus to distributing vaccines in less than a year — the fastest vaccine development sprint in modern history. Years of work on vaccine platforms, massive public funding, and rolling regulatory reviews made it possible.

Usually, vaccine approval can take a decade or more. The process typically involves laboratory research and proof of concept, then multiphase clinical trials in humans, a regulatory review of manufacturing and safety data, official approval, followed by recommendations for use and ongoing monitoring once the vaccine is in circulation. COVID-19 changed that pattern. Regulators accepted data in real time, reviewed dossiers while trials were still underway, and issued emergency use authorizations in a matter of weeks.