(f.l.t.r.) Ulysse Ateba Ngoa (PEI), Helge Senkpiel (PTB), Dr. Jean Fidèle Bationo (AUDA NEDAP), Ndeye Magatte Diao (LNCM Senegal) are standing in front of the Paul-Ehrlich Institut.

Vac­cine Pro­duc­tion: Strength­en­ing Qual­i­ty In­fras­truc­ture in African Coun­tries

Events, Sub-Saharan AfricaChristina Förg-Wimmer; Heidi Meyer; Helge Senkpiel

Regulatory experts from Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa and representatives from regional harmonisation initiatives visit the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut At a four-day meeting at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, representatives of the regulatory authorities in Ghana (Food and Drugs Authority, FDA), Rwanda (Food and Drugs Authority, FDA), South Africa (South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, SAHPRA) and Senegal (Agence sénégalaise de Réglementation…

German Federal Minister Svenja Schulze with representatives of African countries in front of the so-called BioNTainer.

Mobile containers for local COVID-19 vaccine production in Africa

Covid-19, Events, Sub-Saharan AfricaSaida Bunk, Christina Förg-Wimmer, Jana Schöppler

Expanding production capacities for vaccines is an important instrument to prevent and fight global pandemics. New approaches aimed toward finding solutions for local vaccine production are being provided by BioNTech through modular containers called “BioNTainer”. With this invention – the name being a cross between container and the company name BioNTech – COVID-19 vaccines will…

A crumbling wall of concrete criss-crossed by steel bars

A future-ready material: Cement

Sub-Saharan AfricaSaskia Andreas; Jana Schöppler; Karin Vondeberg

Virtual training in cement testing Of all the urban structures due to be built in Africa by 2050, only 20 percent have been completed to date. In other words, 80 percent of the structures planned for the continent’s cities will be constructed within the next 30 years. What’s more, by the end of the century,…

A woman in a white lab coat looks at the tablet in her hand. She is standing in front of a shelf with numerous medications.

Ghanaian delegation visits PTB virtually to discuss local vaccine production in Ghana

Covid-19, Events, Sub-Saharan AfricaSaida Bunk, Jana Schöppler

The promotion of drug and vaccine manufacturing, strengthening the regulatory framework or the harmonization of standards and their implementation — the intervention areas of quality infrastructure in the pharmaceutical sector in Africa are manifold. The need for efforts in these areas is greater than ever, especially in the current situation: The COVID-19 pandemic has shown…

In an exhibition hall of the Intra-African Trade Fair 2021, information booths are lined up on both sides. Long banners hang from the ceiling.

Quality as an opportunity for trade: Intra-African Trade Fair 2021

Events, Sub-Saharan AfricaJana Schöppler

“Transforming Africa” was the theme of this year’s Intra-African Trade Fair which took place in Durban, South Africa. For the second time already, over 1,100 exhibitors took advantage of this unique platform which ran from 15-21 November to network across the entire continent and to intensify collaborations in different sectors. Roughly 10,000 visitors attended the…

African Union Building in Addis Ababa

A signpost for high-quality African products in the world

Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan AfricaMartin Kaiser, Helge Senkpiel

The African Quality Policy was adopted during a specialized technical committee meeting of the African Union (Council of Ministers for Trade and Industry) by a large consensus on 3 September 2021 in Addis Ababa. The African Union Commission designated this as an important step in the implementation of the newly established African Continental Free Trade…

Standards Academy inaugurated in Ethiopia

Events, Sub-Saharan AfricaSaskia Andreas, Jonathan Krull

The development of countries, Alebel Melaku is convinced, mainly depends on their proximity to technology and educated manpower. The Ethiopian Minister of Trade and Industry expressed this thought at the official opening ceremony of the Standards Academy, which was founded by the Ethiopian Standards Agency (ESA). The Academy was officially inaugurated on 9 May 2021, and it…

But who assesses the assessor?

Sub-Saharan AfricaSaskia Andreas, Christina Foerg-Wimmer, Ruth Hearn

A bad night’s sleep, stress, a sudden change in the weather – all of these things may cause a headache. Now, many people take painkillers to get rid of a headache quickly. But who guarantees that this will really help and that it will not harm your health? Testing laboratories do by subjecting the medicine…