The government of Kenya and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at creating an ecosystem to enhance vaccine innovation and production capabilities.
Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa said that the initiative would enable Kenya to move closer to vaccine self-sufficiency for the benefit of the country and the entire region.
Speaking on Tuesday at Afya House during signing ceremony, Dr. Barasa acknowledged the work of Kenyan state agencies such as the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and the Kenya BioVax Institute saying that over the past decade, these institutions have collaborated with the IVI on workforce development, communicable disease surveillance, product development, and clinical trials, highlighting the untapped potential within our borders.
“The selection of Kenya as the host country for a new Country Office and the Advancing Vaccine End-to-End Capabilities (AVEC) Project Office is a significant milestone in advancing vaccine research and development in Africa,” said Dr. Barasa.
The CS commended Dr. Jerome Kim the Director General of the International Vaccine Institute, for championing this crucial cross-continental conversation on vaccine access and health security for Africa.
“Your presence here is a clear demonstration of your commitment to advancing Africa’s New Public Health Order, particularly the pillar focused on Expanded Manufacturing of Vaccines, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics,” said the CS
Dr. Barasa highlighted that the response to the Covid-19 pandemic across the continent spurred significant action to establish vaccine research, development, and manufacturing capacities aimed at creating a sustainable, end-to-end vaccine ecosystem.
She said that since then, Africa has taken decisive steps to invest in biomanufacturing initiatives, increase vaccine access, and accelerate uptake—vital public health interventions—through financing, infrastructure, and workforce development.
“These efforts are integral to strengthening health systems and accelerating health security, as outlined in the African Union Commission and Africa CDC’s New Public Health Order,” said the CS.
According to the CS, under the strategic pillar of ‘Expanded Manufacturing of Vaccines, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics,’ African nations are building ecosystems to ensure the security of health commodities within our regions.
This approach strengthens preparedness, research, development, and response capabilities, and enhances the resilience of our health systems against future health emergencies.
She said that the need to invest in self-sufficient vaccine industries that meet local needs is clearer than ever adding that currently, Africa contributes less than 1% of the vaccines used on the continent.
However, the Africa CDC aims to increase this contribution to 60% by 2040 through locally manufactured vaccines.
“While significant progress has been made in establishing human vaccine research and manufacturing facilities, more collective effort is needed to ensure the success of these industries. We must bridge the gap to create an end-to-end vaccine ecosystem that includes research, development, training, regulatory approval, procurement, and implementation, with sustainable manufacturing as the ultimate goal,” said the CS.
Dr. Barasa said that through respectful and action-oriented partnerships, this vision could become a reality for Kenya and other African nations in the near future, with the support of our partners at the International Vaccine Institute.
The Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Dr. Jerome Kim commended Kenya’s proactive approach saying that this partnership represents a bold step forward in advancing global health security through innovative and sustainable vaccine solutions.
“With this MoU with the government of Kenya in place, we are excited to officially launch IVI’s Country and AVEC Africa Project Office in Nairobi. We are fortunate to have the strong support of the Kenyan government as well as national health agencies and research institutions to realize the goals of AVEC Africa,” said Dr. Kim.
He underscored the importance of a whole-of-continent approach aligned with the vaccine manufacturing goals of the Africa CDC and African Union to activate end-to-end vaccine projects based on local and regional need.
IVI’s Deputy Director General of Global Affairs and Communications and Acting Africa Regional Office Director Dr. Douglas Shaffer said: “Following collaborative sessions with the government of Kenya to engineer IVI’s Country and AVEC Africa Project Office, we are pleased to now begin operationalizing this exciting, new project. Together, we will continue building and connecting a project-driven network of partners to power an integrated and sustainable vaccine ecosystem meeting the needs of Kenya, the region, the continent, and beyond.”
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