GHANA — Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, recently broke ground on the manufacturing facility of DEKs Vaccines Ltd, a private sector-led consortium of local pharmaceutical companies.
This groundbreaking event represents a significant milestone for Ghana as the country seeks to bolster its vaccine manufacturing capabilities and become self-sufficient in vaccine production.
The new plant, which is expected to manufacture approximately 600 million vaccines annually for malaria, pneumonia, rotavirus, and cholera, will encompass a full value chain.
The president expressed optimism about the facility’s potential, stating that “the construction of the vaccine manufacturing plant will help our nation realize the dream of becoming self-sufficient in the production and manufacture of vaccines.”
To kickstart the project, the European Investment Bank (EIB) provided a €5 million (US$5.4 million) grant.
Additionally, the Ghanaian government recently announced the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute, which received seed funding of US$25 million from the EIB in July 2021.
The institute’s primary goal is to coordinate and facilitate the capacity of DEKS Vaccines and other domestic pharmaceutical companies.
The new manufacturing facility will also play a crucial role in filling, finishing, and packaging COVID-19 vaccines, as well as other vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis in two years.
Looking ahead, President Akufo-Addo noted that the medium-term goal is to establish more domestic vaccine manufacturing plants in the country in the next five years, which will meet the WHO GMP standards.
The long-term target is to produce a candidate vaccine in ten years, utilizing innovative technologies.
The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a wake-up call for African nations, highlighting the need to develop their vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
As a result, vaccine manufacturing is gaining momentum across the continent, with countries such as Kenya, South Africa, and Senegal establishing regional hubs for vaccine production.
These regional hubs are critical for boosting vaccine manufacturing on the continent, as they help to streamline the vaccine supply chain and ensure that vaccines are produced to meet global quality standards.
In addition, they create opportunities for technology transfer and knowledge sharing, which is essential for building sustainable vaccine manufacturing ecosystems in Africa.
Multinational companies such as Moderna and BioNTech have also expressed interest in establishing manufacturing sites in Africa, further boosting the continent’s vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
By setting up local manufacturing facilities, these companies can better serve the African market and ensure timely access to life-saving vaccines and medicines.
Moreover, the establishment of vaccine manufacturing plants on the continent has the potential to create jobs and boost economic growth in African countries.
By building a sustainable vaccine manufacturing ecosystem, African nations can not only meet their own vaccine needs but also become reliable suppliers of vaccines to the rest of the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for African countries to develop their vaccine manufacturing capabilities.
The establishment of regional hubs and the interest of multinational companies in setting up local manufacturing sites is a promising sign of the continent’s progress in this area.
By building a sustainable vaccine manufacturing ecosystem, African countries can become self-sufficient in vaccine production and contribute to the global effort to combat infectious diseases.
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