Global Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment: Private Investment Trends in Africa
The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 overwhelmed global healthcare systems and exacerbated the unique challenges facing African countries, many of which struggle to deliver routine health services, while experiencing limited access to equipment and medicines as the continent is faced with a disproportionate burden of disease.
As major economies deploy COVID-19 vaccines to accelerate the return to normalcy and to revive global economic activity, the shortage of medical supply and health workers in Africa has once again been brought to the fore as less than 2% of the world’s vaccine doses has been administered on the continent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The private sector plays a vital role in plugging the health financing gap in Africa. Private sector healthcare providers currently deliver nearly 50% of all healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa, and nearly 60% of healthcare financing on the continent comes from private sources. According to AVCA’s 2021 Snapshot on Healthcare report, healthcare technology deals represented 35% of the total volume of PE & VC fund investments within Africa’s healthcare sector between 2015 and 2020. In 2020, healthcare technology investments represented 45% of the total number of investments within Africa’s healthcare sector.
In this webinar, in partnership with AVCA, leading health sector experts, private equity fund managers and entrepreneurs will discuss the challenges and lessons learned from the global Covid-19 vaccination drive; actionable steps to build healthcare resilience; and how to mobilise private capital to support research and development in Africa’s health ecosystem.
Discussion points include:
Key lessons from other emerging market economies deploying COVID-19 vaccines, including Asian, Caribbean, and Latin American countries
Access to vaccines in Africa and the potential role of the private sector in accelerating deployment
The role of private investment in addressing structural healthcare challenges in Africa
Practical solutions to supply and distribution deficiencies in the continent’s healthcare systems
Public-private collaboration to drive health innovation and research development, especially in pharma
