THE African Union has launched the ‘Africa Medical Supplies Platform’, an online marketplace to facilitate the supply of Covid-19-related critical medical equipment in Africa.
According to an update by the Trade Law Centre for southern Africa (Tralac), the platform lists vetted African and global manufacturers and procurement partners to enable African Union member states to purchase certified medical equipment.
These include diagnostic kits, personal protective equipment and clinical management devices that come with increased cost effectiveness and transparency.
The platform serves as a unique interface enabling volume aggregation, quota management, payment facilitation as well as logistics and transportation to ensure equitable and efficient access to critical supplies for African governments, Tralac said.
Partners who have enabled the platform to function include Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, Janngo Digital, the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and other leading African and international corporations, institutions and foundations.
Afreximbank is set to facilitate payments while logistics partners including African National Carriers and Global Freight Forwarders will expedite delivery.
A strong emphasis is also placed on showcasing and funding Made in Africa manufacturers of medical equipment with relevant certification.
Afreximbank brought to bear its US$3 billion Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation Facility (Patimfa), of which US$200 million has been reserved to support food production as well as the manufacture of, and trade in, medical equipment and supplies.
Masiyiwa said the platform is just one innovation that African countries have developed, to help mitigate the devastating impact of this pandemic “threatening both the health of our people and our national economies”.
“We are already getting requests from other parts of the world to licence the concept,” he said.
“Africa is leading the way with this online solution to ensure all of our governments get access to personal protective equipment and other urgent medical supplies they need, at fair prices,” Masiyiwa added.
Benedict Oramah, the president of Afreximbank, said the whole initiative was important because the increasingly difficult global trade and financing environment would not only limit the potential of African countries to procure essential supplies, but could also limit their ability to scale up their production capacities.
The platform was launched by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa as the African Union chairperson.
