THE Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) will invest up to $50 million over 10 years to help Senegal’s Institut Pasteur expand Africa’s ability to produce vaccines at scale, it said on Thursday.
The deal – which will also reserve capacity to produce vaccines specifically for Global South countries during future outbreaks of disease – will help Africa take charge of its own health security, CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett told Reuters.
The funds, which will initially include up to $15 million over three years, will support development of the institute’s manufacturing facilities for routine and outbreak vaccinations.
CEPI, a global initiative headquartered in Norway, is creating a network of vaccine manufacturers in developing countries to help boost capacity and reserves for future outbreaks and pandemics.
‘The facility will ensure regional outbreaks are not neglected by deploying the latest technology for the greatest need,’ said Amadou Alpha Sall, CEO of Institut Pasteur de Dakar, a non-profit foundation in Senegal’s capital.
At the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Africa, like other poorer regions, was left without adequate vaccine supplies, highlighting the need to develop its own production. However, by the time the shots became more widely available, the take-up on the continent was slow, as many were less afraid of the virus and misinformation about vaccines had spread.
Africa’s efforts to expand its own vaccine production capacity were led by South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare.