Strengthening and Reimagining Health-Industry Policy Linkages for Pandemic Preparedness in Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the risks and challenges of relying on imports and global supply chains to meet healthcare needs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It has underscored the decline in production capacity in high-income economies and the lack of widespread industrial capabilities in LMICs, raising concerns about national sovereignty, resilience of global supply chains and public health security. Nevertheless, the pandemic also pushed LMICs to rapidly enhance their technological capabilities in diagnostic kits, personal protective equipment (PPEs), and medicines. In this project, we investigate these responses to COVID-19 in LMICs, particularly in terms of policies influencing linkages between health and industry, and their potential to shape pandemic preparedness in terms of resources, structures, and expertise for locally relevant medical devices and diagnostics.

By focusing on Kenya and South Africa, this project aims to address a critical question:

How can policy be reimagined to support the development of local health-industrial linkages, creating widespread local industrial capabilities and thereby enhancing local health security for pandemic preparedness?

The project team includes researchers from The Open University (UK), the University of Johannesburg (South Africa), and the African Centre for Technology Studies (Kenya).

Funding

This is an 18-month project, funded by the Official Development Assistance Challenge-Oriented Research Grants 2024 of the British Academy.