Webinar: – Securing Our Future: Aligning Faith-Based Health Systems with the Africa Local Manufacturing Agenda

The Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) is spearheading a strategic project to develop a comprehensive position paper on Local Manufacturing (LM). This initiative is born out of an urgent need to strengthen faith-based health systems, which often serve the most vulnerable populations. For these systems, local manufacturing is a critical imperative to ensure medicine security, reduce the high costs associated with imported pharmaceuticals, and build resilience against international supply chain disruptions.

The African Union (AU) has local manufacturing as a cornerstone of the continent’s Health Sovereignty agenda, primarily driven through the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA). The AU emphasizes that Africa can no longer rely on external sources for 99% of its vaccines and the majority of its medicines. In addition, the just-concluded G20 meeting in South Africa underscored the global commitment to decentralized manufacturing hubs. Leaders at the G20 highlighted the necessity of technology transfer and intellectual property waivers to empower regional production in the Global South, directly aligning with EPN’s goal of integrating faith-based supply chains into this burgeoning continental framework.

It is against this background that EPN is hosting a webinar, to concretize the position of the faith- based health system on the local manufacturing agenda. This discussion is particularly timely given shifting global funding dynamics, changing donor priorities, and increased emphasis on regional production, health security, and supply chain resilience across the continent. As external financing models evolve, strengthening local manufacturing capacity is becoming central to ensuring sustainable access to essential medicines and medical products.

Webinar Objectives

1. To disseminate technical information regarding the African Union local manufacturing landscape.
2. To launch the local manufacturing survey tool and provide a roadmap for data collection ending March 30, 2026
3. To foster a technical exchange between EPN members and regional bodies like Africa CDC.

Expected outcomes

1. Information Dissemination and Landscape Analysis: Participants will gain a technical understanding of the current Africa local manufacturing landscape and status, primarily through a dedicated analysis session led by Africa CDC
2. Stakeholder Technical Exchange: The webinar will facilitate an exchange of insights between EPN members and a technical panel featuring representatives from JMS, CHAZ, and Central Pharma (CBC)
3. Kick-off for Data Collection: A major functional outcome is the official dissemination of the local manufacturing survey tool. This tool is intended to be completed by members following the webinar to provide the raw data required for the project

Event Details
The meeting will be conducted online (purely virtual) and the duration of the session will be (1 hour 30 mins)

Proposed date and time

Date: 12th March 2026
Time: 12:00 pm-1:30pm GMT | 1:00pm-2:30pm WAT | 2:00pm-3:30pm CAT | 3:00pm-4:30 pm EAT

Registration Link: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/936f26cd-e1bb-4f19-ba53-
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