A three-day convocation of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, was host to a first-ever gathering of vaccine manufacturers in Africa. Morocco served as the host country.

Attendees to the Manufacturers Marketplace for Vaccine Manufacturing conference included the 13 African Union member states, ministers of health or representatives, heads of national regulatory authorities, representatives from the Regional Economic Communities, stakeholders such as UNICEF, AfCFTA Secretariat, and African vaccine manufacturers.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the sustainability of ongoing manufacturing projects in Africa and to exchange views on the viability of public-private partnerships and the availability and use of $1 billion in financing to fuel vaccine manufacturing in Africa through Gavi’s proposed African Vaccine Market Accelerator (AVMA).

The potential AVMA will be considered by the Gavi Board later this year, Africa CDC reported in a synopsis of the meeting on its website.