During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, SHI provided surge coordination support to the African Vaccines Regulatory Forum (AVAREF), hosted by WHO AFRO.  The work enabled expedited and reliance-based regulatory pathways through coordinated joint reviews, familiarisation discussions, and decision-tracking across multiple countries.  Coordination support and disciplined execution ensured continuity under crisis conditions, while regulatory decision-making remained with participating authorities.

This strengthened AVAREF’s operational readiness and enabled Africa-led regulatory collaboration to function at speed during a global health emergency.