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

Date: 12 March 2026

EPN will host a strategic webinar focused on strengthening local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Africa and aligning faith-based health systems with the continent’s growing health sovereignty agenda.

Across Africa, many health systems still depend heavily on imported medicines and vaccines. In response, the African Union is advancing the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa, a key initiative aimed at building sustainable regional manufacturing capacity. Faith-based health networks—often serving vulnerable and underserved communities—play a vital role in this transformation.

This webinar will contribute to EPN’s ongoing project to develop a position paper on local pharmaceutical manufacturing, supporting stronger medicine supply systems, lower medicine costs, and improved resilience against global supply chain disruptions.

Why This Webinar Matters

Africa currently imports the majority of its medicines and nearly all vaccines. Strengthening local pharmaceutical manufacturing is essential to improving medicine security, supply chain resilience, and sustainable access to essential health products across the continent. As global health financing and donor priorities shift, regional production and technology transfer are becoming critical components of Africa’s long-term health security strategy.

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

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Time Zones: 12:00–13:30 GMT | 13:00–14:30 WAT | 14:00–15:30 CAT | 15:00–16:30 EAT |

Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/936f26cd-e1bb-4f19-ba53-039b89566002@d7a24534-5289-48de-870b-09fe9ba81068

Key Speakers and Contributors

The webinar will feature insights from regional faith-based pharmaceutical supply organizations including:

1. Joint Medical Store (Uganda)
2. Churches Health Association of Zambia (Zambia)
3. Cameroon Baptist Convention Central Pharmacy (Cameroon)

Moderation will be led by Dr. Mugambi Mbaya (EPN) and Dr. Joseph Muriu (Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS)).