The European Union is stepping up efforts to strengthen health systems and expand local production of essential medical products, announcing three new investments in
Africa and Latin America under its Global Gateway strategy.
The European Commission unveiled the package during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, presenting the projects as an early practical implementation of the EU’s Global Health Resilience Initiative, adopted in May 2026.
The measures include a €63.5 million EU guarantee aimed at attracting private capital to health and nutrition businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa, a €15 million European Investment Bank (EIB) loan to support vaccine and biological medicines production in Colombia, and €60 million in EU funding to expand and improve primary healthcare services in Ethiopia.
Together, the projects are designed to combine public finance, private investment, technology and technical expertise to strengthen local health capacity and reduce vulnerabilities in global medical supply chains.
€63.5 million guarantee to unlock health investment in Africa
The Commission and Cardano Development have signed an agreement establishing the First Mover Health Investors Fund, backed by a €63.5 million EU guarantee.
The initiative is expected to mobilise around €150 million in private investment for growth-stage companies operating in Sub-Saharan Africa's health and nutrition sectors.
The fund will target businesses involved in nutrition, pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical devices and consumables, healthcare delivery and health-related innovation. Particular attention will be given to companies working in markets where conventional investors have traditionally been reluctant to commit capital because of perceived risks.
The EU guarantee is intended to reduce part of that risk and encourage commercial and institutional investors to enter markets with potential for sustainable growth.
Companies receiving investment will also have access to technical assistance aimed at improving their investment readiness, meeting quality standards and demonstrating measurable social and economic impact.
The guarantee is being provided through the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+), the EU's investment-risk-sharing mechanism designed to attract additional private capital to sustainable development projects.
Colombia to expand vaccine and biological medicines production
In Colombia, the European Investment Bank is providing biotechnology company VaxThera with a €15 million venture loan, backed by the European Commission.
The financing represents the first tranche of a package that could reach €35 million and will support the second phase of VaxThera's commercial-scale manufacturing facility.
The project will finance construction, equipment and validation work needed to expand the production of vaccines and biological medicines in Colombia. It is also intended to strengthen the company's capacity to develop products targeting infectious diseases and other unmet medical needs.
Under the EU-backed financing arrangement, up to €1.5 million in technical assistance will be available to support the development of three vaccine candidates addressing infectious diseases of regional and global significance.
The Commission says the project will combine Colombian manufacturing and scientific capacity with European technology and expertise. Beyond increasing production capacity, the investment is expected to create skilled employment and contribute to the development of Colombia's biotechnology sector.
The initiative is also intended to strengthen regional preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics by expanding the availability of essential health products closer to the markets where they are needed.
The operation is supported through an EFSD+ guarantee under the EU's Accelerating Human Development programme.
€60 million package targets primary healthcare in Ethiopia
A separate €60 million EU investment package will support Ethiopia's efforts to improve access to and the quality of primary healthcare.
The funding will help finance the construction and rehabilitation of healthcare facilities and provide essential equipment, with the aim of bringing health centres closer to required operational and quality standards.
The programme will also address wider factors affecting health outcomes, particularly in underserved communities. These include access to clean water and sanitation, nutrition and measures addressing gender-based violence.
Digital technology will form another part of the initiative, with EU support for expanding digitally enabled health-insurance services in remote areas.
The package will additionally fund biomedical training, research and innovation, while technical assistance will focus on strengthening areas such as pharmaceutical manufacturing and the management of medical supply chains.
The Commission expects the combination of infrastructure, skills and technology to improve healthcare delivery while also strengthening domestic health financing and creating conditions for greater private-sector investment.
The programme could also create opportunities for cooperation between Ethiopian institutions and European companies.
Putting the EU's new global health strategy into practice
The three projects form part of the EU's Global Health Resilience Initiative, adopted in May 2026 as the bloc's renewed framework for addressing global health threats.
The initiative focuses on strengthening country-led health systems, improving international prevention and preparedness, diversifying production and supply chains for essential health products, reinforcing global health governance, and strengthening public confidence in science while tackling disinformation and foreign information manipulation.
The latest Global Gateway projects reflect several of these priorities by combining healthcare infrastructure with local manufacturing, investment, research, technology and skills development.
The EU says it mobilised more than €6 billion for global health between 2021 and 2025. During the same period, the EU and its Member States also mobilised more than €2 billion through Global Gateway to support regional production of vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa.
The new investments extend that approach beyond direct health assistance, with the EU seeking to build stronger local production capacity and attract additional private capital alongside European public funding.