Africa's path to vaccine self-reliance
Amid the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa faced challenges in obtaining life-saving vaccines as it heavily depended on external sources. This highlighted the continent's limited access that can only be addressed effectively through investments in self-sufficiency in Africa.
Currently, only one per cent of vaccines used in Africa are manufactured within the continent, with the remaining 99 per cent being imported. The trend is changing, however, with increased investments in local vaccine production in Africa in recent years. This path to self-sufficiency enhances Africa’s ability to respond to potential pandemics and outbreaks.
Rwanda mRNA vaccine facility
In December 2023, Rwanda and German biotech company BioNTech inaugurated Africa's first manufacturing facility for mRNA-based vaccines.
The Rwandan facility is equipped to manufacture at an annual capacity of 50 million doses targeted to the needs of the African Union member states.BioNTech plans to establish additional factories in Senegal and South Africa while the facility in Rwanda will become a node in a decentralised and robust African end-to-end manufacturing network.
Gavi
In December 2023, Gavi, an international organization that improves access to vaccines, introduced a fund named “the First Response Fund” of US$22 million to support pandemic prevention, preparedness and response activities.
In December 2023, The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said it had welcomed Gavi's establishment of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) AVMA will function as a financing mechanism of up to US$ 1 billion for vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
World Health Organization
During the State of the Nation Address of South African President Museveni, he announced that the World Health Organization (WHO) has selected six African countries, including South Africa, to receive the necessary technology for large-scale production of mRNA vaccines.
African Union
In 2021, the African Union Heads of States and Governments launched The Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) to enable Africa to develop, produce, and supply more than 60 per cent of the total vaccine doses needed on the continent by 2040. PAVM has seen various vaccine manufacturing projects underway already.
European Investment Bank (EIB) and African Development Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has committed US$1 billion for vaccines, medicines, and health technology in Africa. In a parallel move, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has established a US$3 billion facility to support healthcare in Africa, with a focus on vaccine production.
International Finance Cooperation
On July 9, 2021, the International Finance Cooperation and four other institutions announced $14 million in grant funding to Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal (IPD) along with project development support, in support of vaccine production. The project is also co-financed by the Government of Japan.
Institut Pasteur de Dakar and Mastercard Foundation
On June 1, 2023, the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) and the Mastercard Foundation announced a $45 million partnership named MADIBA (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunization and Building Autonomy) to enable Africa to achieve vaccine manufacturing autonomy. MADIBA seeks to establish a globally competitive workforce by training skilled young individuals to contribute to vaccine production and distribution.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed a $40 million investment to support various African manufacturers in producing mRNA vaccines locally. Senegal’s Institut Pasteur de Dakar and South Africa's Biovac will each receive US$5 million to acquire the needed technology to develop locally relevant vaccines. The remaining $30 million will support other African manufacturers in vaccine manufacturing and production.
But, with many new projects underway, there's a concern that if efforts aren't coordinated, there could be duplicate investments in some areas and not enough in others, putting long-term impact at risk.
