Germany to boost pharmaceutical production in Africa

Germany intends to strengthen the local production of vaccines and medicines in Africa, the Development Ministry announced ahead of the opening of the World Health Summit in Berlin on Sunday.

This will entail further ministry support for a fund that invests in African pharmaceutical companies, Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan said on Friday.

Armed conflicts threaten health-care provision in much of the world, such as in Ukraine, the Middle East, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she noted, while stressing that those affected must not be left behind.

"That is why, despite a difficult budget situation, Germany continues to invest reliably in the fight against infectious diseases, in the vaccination of children, in education about pregnancy and contraception, and in ensuring self-sufficiency in medicines on the African continent. This is also in our German interest," said the minister.

A key focus of the annual summit in Berlin will be the recent Ebola outbreak in Congo.