Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, has called for greater investment in Africa’s scientific and manufacturing capabilities to secure the continent’s health future and reduce dependence on imported medical products.
The Minister made these remarks at the BIO Africa-CPHIA Convention 2025, which took place at the Durban International Convention Centre on Thursday.
He reaffirmed the importance of the conference theme -- Moving Towards Self-Reliance to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Health Security in Africa.
“[The] theme highlights the important issue of ‘self-reliance’. We all recall how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities inherent in overreliance on imported health products, but it also highlighted the tremendous potential of coordinated scientific and industrial action.“
The event, which gathered esteemed guests and speakers from across the continent, aimed to foster collaboration and innovation in health care in Africa.
“It is critical for Africa’s policy makers, researchers and scientists to understand that we can’t be confident of a sustainable future for Africa if we don’t deliberately invest in the development of sovereign capabilities in all critical areas of human development, including health care,” he said.
Nzimande highlighted the role of political leadership in building innovative ecosystems.
“Visionary political leadership and strategic commitment are far more than catchphrases; they represent the engine by which nations build robust innovation ecosystems and resilient domestic manufacturing capabilities in health.”
The Minister told delegates that the South African government has placed science, technology, and innovation at the centre of its development strategy.
He said the actions of the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) are guided by the Decadal Plan on Science, Technology, and Innovation (2022-2032). This framework is unified by the vision that research should promote inclusive growth, facilitate meaningful social transformations, and contribute to a sustainable future.
Nzimande outlined the Decadal Plan’s focus on health innovation, highlighting its objectives that include the development of domestic capabilities for health products.
“Our country’s Decadal Plan specifically identifies Health Innovation as a core STI priority, alongside energy innovation, and explicitly targets the development of domestic capabilities across the entire health value chain – from discovery to local manufacturing of vaccines, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and diagnostics.”
Nzimande said government’s commitment has been strengthened through various initiatives, including the expansion of the South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap and the enhancement of institutions and science councils, such as the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
He highlighted the National Health Insurance (NHI) initiative -- aimed at ensuring universal access to healthcare -- and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan as two measures that contribute to self-reliance in healthcare. The plan, initiated in 2025, is supported by a significant investment of US$3.2 billion. According to Nzimande, this plan aims to ensure that by 2040, at least 60% of all vaccines used in Africa are produced within Africa’s own borders.
Nzimande said this continental momentum is mirrored in South Africa’s domestic work.
The DSTI’s Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing Strategy, currently in development, is supporting home-grown production platforms for diseases of both local and continental relevance.
Technical cooperation with Germany, the European Union, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) -- through initiatives such as SAVax Joint Action and the Team Europe Initiative MAV+ -- is bringing targeted support specifically geared towards establishing robust mRNA technology platforms.
This includes providing good manufacturing practice (GMP) support, regulatory strengthening and essential business development expertise.
The BIO Africa-CPHIA Convention serves as a platform for dialogue and discussion with stakeholders in the global biotechnology sector. Its purpose is to showcase Africa’s biotechnology innovations in health, agriculture and industry to a global audience.
The convention encourages the global community to explore investment opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships with African biotech business leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, regulatory authorities, and policymakers. – SAnews.gov.za
