HH LAUNCHES ACHIEVE AFRICA TO ADVANCE HEALTH SOVEREIGNTY

Hakainde Hichilema has launched the African Coalition for Health Innovation, Evidence, Vaccines and Epidemics (ACHIEVE Africa), a continental research and development platform aimed at strengthening Africa’s capacity to produce vaccines and therapeutics.

The initiative was unveiled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where President Hichilema emphasized the need for Africa to build full end-to-end capacity in health innovation, covering research, design, production, regulation, and delivery systems.

He noted that although the continent accounts for about 17 percent of the world’s population and nearly 25 percent of global vaccine demand, it currently produces only about one percent of vaccines, underscoring a major gap in health security.

President Hichilema said the launch of ACHIEVE Africa signals renewed commitment by African nations to scientific self-reliance and stronger collaboration in responding to public health challenges and future epidemics.