Africa CDC Consortium for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials (CONCVACT)

The Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 is underpinned by the need to limit transmission, prevent deaths and reduce associated harms. Participation by African nations in clinical trials is an essential step to ensure that sufficient data is generated on the safety and efficacy of the most promising vaccine candidates among the region’s populations. While current COVID-19 clinical trial activity on the continent is limited, Africa has substantial experience and capabilities to conduct clinical trials for preventative vaccines across a range of diseases, and many organizations on the continent are working tirelessly to help prepare additional trials on potential COVID-19 vaccines. As the number of candidate vaccines in the development pipeline continues to increase, it will be important for organizations responsible for managing clinical trials in the region to partner with vaccine developers to identify potential and appropriate trial locations, provide support to remove any critical obstacles impeding commencement and progress of trials, and to provide oversight ensuring that trials are conducted safely and ethically.

The African CDC Consortium for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials (CONCVACT) has been established to convene the diverse organizations working across the continent under one umbrella, to help accelerate progress on planned and future COVID-19 vaccine trials that take place in African nations.

The CONCVACT is fundamentally an African initiative and is closely aligned with African priorities and interests. Vitally, it will partner with, and strengthen the capacity of, relevant institutions and networks throughout the continent. CONCVACT will focus primarily on research, and will promote the translation of scientific and clinical findings into substantive regional impact through political and regulatory engagement. In this way, the CONCVACT will provide regional stewardship and strengthen coordination in these urgent and important areas, and will not seek to exert control over them.