African heads of state met over the weekend at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for their annual AU summit — where a raft of decisions were debated and put up for a vote, including some focused on improving the health security of the continent’s population.
A key decision to come out of this is the agreement to create a pooled procurement mechanism for medical commodities which was approved late Sunday night.
“The decision means the creation of a robust market for manufacturers and ensures the health security of all Africans,” wrote Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya in a press release.