Africa-South Korea Roundtable: Working Together on Local Production of Diagnostics

The COVID pandemic has brought to the forefront the difficulties faced by many African countries when it comes to securing equitable and sustainable access to diagnostic tests. These difficulties are not new and apply to many diseases that are endemic on the continent, and for which there are few or no local manufacturers of diagnostics. 

There is a need to diversify the global diagnostics market by increasing the number of regional and local manufacturers. Given the longstanding expertise of South Korean manufacturers in developing and manufacturing diagnostic technologies, and the large potential of developing a diagnostics industry in Africa, there are opportunities to forge mutually beneficial partnerships. 

On 14 June 2022, MSF hosted a roundtable to bring together manufacturers and stakeholders from Africa and South Korea to discuss the challenges, potential and opportunities offered by increasing local production of diagnostics. This report (available in English, French and Korean) summarises the discussions, and offers recommendations for improving access to diagnostic tests.