A boost for manufacture and access to COVID-19 vaccines in Africa

Vaccine manufacturing programmes are expensive and complex, even for sophisticated organisations like the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, which has over 80 years of experience developing vaccines and is currently the only facility in Africa producing a vaccine accepted by the World Health Organization.

To kick-start development of the new facility, the EU bank, the European Commission, France and Germany, working together as Team Europe, provided grants, technical assistance and training. Another member of the team, Belgium, is working with Senegal on a plan to develop the country as a regional hub for pharmaceuticals, with the regional government of Wallonia also supporting a Belgian biotech company that will help the institute on capacity building and technology transfer. Other international partners, including the US and the World Bank Group, are also involved and will continue to support the project during the development phase, when the total cost could reach €100 million to €200 million.

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Europe’s support in Africa is also about global health care and making sure all countries can deal with the pandemic.

“Many African countries, even those with the funds, simply cannot get access to vaccines on the market. This is why this site in Senegal, which will cover the entire production chain, is so important for the continent.” says Ramon Ynaraja, the European Investment Bank’s representative in Senegal.