The African Union's public health agency and South African drugmaker Aspen Pharmacare are in talks on a long‑term framework aimed at boosting vaccine production on the continent, after the Covid‑19 pandemic exposed its overreliance on imports.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the continent's largest pharmaceutical company said on Tuesday the talks are focused on building viable markets for vaccines produced in Africa as part of efforts to improve health security and reduce the continent's reliance on imports.

Governments and health bodies across Africa are stepping up efforts to expand local production following vaccine supply disruptions and shortages during the pandemic.

Africa currently imports the vast majority of the vaccines it uses despite consuming more than 1-billion doses a year. The proposed collaboration seeks to address that dependence by exploring a multi‑year arrangement to support local manufacturing capacity and supply security.

The talks are centred on selecting priority vaccine antigens, gradually scaling up supply with the potential to reach tens to hundreds of millions of doses annually, and pricing products in line with market benchmarks, the organisations said in a statement. 

Getting a clearer picture of Africa's long‑term needs will also help unlock investment in output capacity while supporting more reliable access to vaccines made on the continent, they said.

"These discussions with Aspen represent an important step toward translating Africa's vaccine manufacturing ambitions into sustainable market realities," Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said.

Aspen has previously said it aims to position itself as a leading African vaccine manufacturer. Chief Executive Stephen Saad said the company's investments in sterile manufacturing capacity in South Africa and its significant supply chain infrastructure would allow it to produce the necessary vaccines at scale.

Africa CDC and Aspen said they will also discuss procurement, financing and risk‑sharing.