The COVID-19 pandemic exposed stark vaccine inequities between high and low-income nations and underscored Africa’s dependence on outside countries for 99 per cent of its jabs.
But, this may end soon as Senegal hopes to reduce that inequity and make the continent more vaccine self-sufficient with plan by its Institut Pasteur de Dakar to begin rolling out, later this year, 300 million doses of vaccines yearly.
According to a report monitor on Voice of America (VOA) by The Nation, the plan is being carried out through collaboration with BioNTech. South Africa also has similar collaboration with Moderna.
African vaccination rate is 11 per cent vaccination compare to 64 per cent rate in the United States (U.S.) and 72 by the United Kingdom. Currently, Africa relies on importation for 99 per cent of its vaccine needs.
Aside from producing COVID-19 vaccines, the production lines will also produce vaccines for endemic diseases like polio and yellow fever.
Producing COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, according to reports, came one step closer last year after Team Europe formally agreed to support large-scale investment in vaccine production by the Institut Pasteur, alongside other support measures.
The new manufacturing plant will reduce Africa’s 99% dependence on vaccine imports and strengthen future pandemic resilience on the continent.
The agreement was part of a major package of investment in vaccine and pharmaceuticals production in Africa launched by Team Europe in May, which brings together the European Commission, EU Member States, and the European Investment Bank, and other financial institutions, in line with the EU’s Strategy with Africa and the strategy of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM).
Team Europe, together with other international partners, has committed to a significant package of support for the medium- to long-term sustainability of the project. This includes: Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is supporting the manufacturing hub in Senegal with a €20 million grant through KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau), the German development bank.
France, through the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), has already granted two initial financing packages totalling €1.8 million to the MADIBA project (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunisation and Building Autonomy) at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar for feasibility studies and initial investments. The AFD Group and its private sector subsidiary, Proparco, are also working within the group of technical and financial partners to structure the project in order to reach financial support at a larger scale.
Belgium will support Senegal in structuring initiatives to produce vaccines and pharmaceuticals, such as the Pharmapolis pharma hub. Belgium also welcomes the fact that a Belgian biotech company in novel bio-manufacturing platforms is forging, with the support of Wallonia, a partnership with the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, as a key partner for building capacity and transferring technology.
The European Commission is discussing with the Senegalese authorities the possibility of mobilising further financial support by the end of 2021 under the new NDICI / Global Europe instrument to support this project. This is part of the €1 billion Team Europe initiative to boost the manufacturing of, and access to, vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in May 2021.