In May 2025, a significant milestone was reached in Africa’s health sovereignty journey: for the first time in its history, the , the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria procured a first-line HIV treatment manufactured on African soil. The medication- TLD (tenofovir, lamivudine and dolutegravir), produced by Universal Corporation Ltd in Kenya, will support more than 72,000 people in Mozambique annually.

This is not just a procurement transaction, it is a continental breakthrough and a shift from dependence to agency. It signals a future where African health challenges are increasingly met by African-led solutions. In a world where Africa often finds itself last in line for essential medical goods, this moment is a tangible step toward reclaiming ownership of the continent’s health systems.

“Africa is standing up and saying: ‘We will no longer be the last in line for our own survival; we are the source of our own solutions.’”
Tian Johnson, Founder and Lead of the African Alliance.

Beyond Symbolism: Practical Impacts for the Continent.

This development carries deep economic, political, and social implications:

• Stronger supply chains: Local production mitigates dependency on unpredictable global supply chains, especially in times of crisis.
• Economic resilience: Local manufacturing can generate jobs, retain value and reduce import costs, particularly critical as external donor funding shrinks.
• Pharmaceutical equity: When Africa produces at scale, it strengthens its bargaining power in negotiations and procurement, enhancing access and affordability.

Global Fund’s NextGen Market Shaping.

This procurement is part of the Global Fund’s “Next Generation Market Shaping” strategy, which seeks to:

• Accelerate product innovation and delivery at scale.
• Strengthen regional manufacturing capacity, especially in Africa.
• Promote sustainable and resilient supply chains.

From a First to a Norm.

Africa still imports 70–90% of its medicines. This must change. Global health actors must now prioritise regional procurement, ensuring African manufacturers are not the exception, but the norm. Similarly, African governments must back their words with investment in local pharmaceutical ecosystems, including regulatory harmonisation and tax incentives- as committed to through the establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). As an African Union organ, AMA was created to provide leadership in building an enabling regulatory environment for pharmaceutical sector development across the continent. Supporting the growth of local pharmaceutical production is central to AMA’s mission, and is also a key objective of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA).

With coordinated investment and accountability, this exciting moment can be the first of many and a shift toward health security made by Africa, for Africa.