**Kigali**: The East African Community has launched the EAC Pooled Bulk Procurement Mechanism to enhance regional purchasing of medicines and vaccines. This initiative, with a budget of $3.56 billion, aims to improve healthcare access and support local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The East African Community (EAC) Partner States have officially initiated the implementation of a new procurement mechanism known as the EAC Pooled Bulk Procurement Mechanism (EAC PPM), aimed at enhancing the region’s capacity to collectively purchase medicines and vaccines in bulk rather than relying on individual country procurements. The launch of this significant programme took place on Monday, March 24, 2025, in Kigali, Rwanda, with an estimated budgetary projection of $3.56 billion to cover the costs associated with procuring therapeutics.
The launch event was attended by key figures including Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, the Deputy Secretary General for Infrastructure, Productive, Social, and Political Sectors at the EAC; Hon. Fatuma Ndangiza, a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA); and Dr. Stephen Karengera, the Director of the University of Rwanda’s EAC Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management (EAC RCE-VIHSCM).
Deputy Secretary General Malueth highlighted the advantages of this initiative, explaining that the bulk procurement strategy would facilitate economies of scale for the region, allowing for the acquisition of quality medical supplies in a timely manner. “This aligns with our vision of a healthier and more prosperous East African Community,” he stated, underscoring the initiative’s objective of improving access to essential medicines in the public health sector.
Dr. Karengera characterised the mechanism as a pivotal approach for developing the pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing landscape within the region. He remarked that the ability of the EAC to guarantee demand for products would serve as a strong incentive for local manufacturing. “The most significant benefit is the ability of the EAC to shape its own pharmaceutical market by guaranteeing demand,” he said.
In her speech, Hon. Amb. Ndangiza stressed the urgency in transitioning from the rollout phase to full implementation. She raised concerns regarding potential delays, stating, “It is not enough to agree on a mechanism and then spend another 20 years putting it into action.” Ndangiza voiced her expectation that all Partner States should advance the implementation process without undue delay, while also encouraging an increase in health budgets in lieu of reliance on donor funding.
The implementation of the EAC PPM will occur in three phases. The first phase, which is currently underway, involves information sharing among Partner States. The second phase will focus on joint market intelligence, and the final phase will encompass joint bulk tendering as a bloc, which is expected to be implemented by October 2025, during the 26th EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health.
Initially, the procurement mechanism will prioritise 50 items that are in high demand, including treatments for HIV/AIDS, as well as products aimed at improving reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health. This initiative is particularly critical given recent uncertainties regarding the supply of these essential commodities, especially in light of U.S. Executive Orders that are affecting funding from USAID.
Diane Mutoni, Deputy CEO of Rwanda Medical Supply (RMS), noted that the new mechanism would enhance Rwanda’s ability to procure medications that have been in short supply due to challenges associated with individual country negotiations, delayed deliveries from suppliers, and lengthy tendering processes.
As the EAC moves forward with this initiative, it stands to address significant challenges in healthcare access while bolstering regional cooperation in public health procurement.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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