Environmental and social impact assessment for vaccine laboratory complex: Ethiopian COVID-19 emergency response project

Abstract

Ethiopia has a population of more than 105 million and is the second-most populous country in Africa after Nigeria. The government of Ethiopia has spent huge resources in the past two decades to strengthen health system and have achieved significant gains in improving the health status of Ethiopians. As a result, the numbers of multinational and national companies interested to invest in the Ethiopian market; in food and pharmaceutical sector, are increasing from time to time. Consequently, this has resulted in a tremendous increment of both the type and volume of food and medical products imported by the country. In addition, different industrial parks have identified, and constructions are under way for the local productions of foods and medical products which are expected to increase in the coming GTP phases. Comparable efforts have been underway to ensure safety and quality of both food and pharmaceutical products and quality of health services through strengthening the federal and regional regulatory bodies. However, to deal with the advance in food and pharmaceutical technology and the ever-changing challenges of substandard and counterfeit medical commodities, it requires establishment and maintaining an efficient and effective regulatory system which is staffed with competent regulators supported by training center and state of the art laboratories. Cognizant of these facts, the Ethiopian government has already allotted a 10,500 square meters plot of land for construction of the Food and Medicine regulators training and quality assurance center. At present, ensuring the safety, quality and efficacy or performance as applicable of all food, medicines, medical devices, and other supplies that are used in the health care system of a country is not adequately addressed. This is because, the existing regulatory sector lacks some of the advanced laboratory technologies and competent regulators at all levels (Federal to District level)