A stark lesson that arose from the inequities experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic was that low- and middle-income countries were far too dependent on pharmaceutical products from foreign companies. Wealthy countries hoarded supplies, leading to long delays in receiving lifesaving commodities like vaccines and drugs in other parts of the world.
To change this, there’s been a call for heightened levels of pharmaceutical manufacturing in lower-income countries — but not to do so haphazardly, instead to move forward with a strategic, regional approach. This is aimed at ensuring there aren’t duplication of efforts, wasted resources, and that efforts are actually profitable.
It doesn't make sense, for example, for every country in Africa to set up a vaccine manufacturing plant. Not every country has the capacity and some would fail because there wouldn’t be enough purchasers of their product. Instead, certain countries would manufacture and supply the continent. Some may produce the actual vaccines while others may produce input materials like filters or vials.