SENEGAL —The Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) and the Mastercard Foundation have announced a partnership worth US$45 million, named MADIBA (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunization and Building Autonomy), with the goal of achieving vaccine production autonomy in Africa.

The primary objective of this partnership is to develop and cultivate a highly skilled workforce to support vaccine manufacturing in the region.

A Center of Training Excellence will be established as part of MADIBA to provide specialized training in vaccine research, manufacturing, production, and distribution, with a particular focus on nurturing talented young individuals, including young women.

Dakar, Senegal, will serve as the headquarters for MADIBA, aligning with the country’s “Plan Sénégal Émergent” (Emerging Senegal Plan), which aims to manufacture 50% of the nation’s pharmaceutical products by 2035.

MADIBA serves as a blueprint for future vaccine manufacturing facilities across Africa and represents a significant step towards achieving vaccine self-sufficiency on the continent.

Under the MADIBA project, IPD will develop a specialized training curriculum tailored to the needs of the African continent.

Key stakeholders such as renowned experts, universities, and manufacturers will be involved in the initiative to address the development of essential skills required for highly specialized functions, including vaccine production, quality assurance, supply chain management, procurement, and clinical trials.

Graduates of the MADIBA training program will play a crucial role in driving the success of other manufacturing facilities, resulting in a multiplier effect and transformative impact on vaccine manufacturing capabilities throughout the continent.

Dr. Amadou A. Sall, CEO, Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal, “This partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and IPD will enhance human capital development for biomanufacturing in Africa.”

He also noted that the project is a crucial pillar for vaccine equity and autonomy and a significant driver for high-skilled job creation among young and female Africans.

“We extend our gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation for investing in our mission to accelerate equitable and sustainable access to health in Africa along with other financial and technical partners of the MADIBA project,’’ said Dr. Amadou Sall, the CEO of IPD.

Reeta Roy, President, and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation said, “This partnership builds on the game-changing intent of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative… In the process, our collaboration will also benefit the livelihoods of young people in Africa.”

IPD is a Senegalese not-for-profit foundation working to advance equitable access to health in Africa, especially in Senegal.

IPD also plays an important regional role through its various specialized reference laboratories and its partnership with WHO in the fight against infectious diseases.

Additionally, IPD is one of the four WHO prequalified manufacturers to supply yellow fever vaccines to UN Agencies.

Africa’s Autonomous Vaccine Production Ambitions

The African Union’s ambitious target to fulfil 60% of the continent’s vaccine needs by 2040.

As a blueprint for future vaccine manufacturing facilities across Africa, MADIBA marks a crucial first step towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Africa.

Additionally, the African Union and Africa CDC therefore launched Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), which sets out a plan to achieve integrated vaccine development and manufacturing across multiple vaccine platforms and prioritizing 22 diseases.

PAVM plan is expected to require an investment of US$30 billion over 20 years.

In February 2023, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also launched the Regional Capability and Capacity Centre Network (RCCCN), focusing on talent development for manufacturing and research, and selected IPD as its inaugural centre.

In other vaccine collaborative initiatives is South Africa-based company Afrigen Biologics has made its own version of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine using the publicly available sequence.

Afrigen is part of WHO’s technology transfer hub in South Africa and plans to share the technology with other LMIC-based manufacturers.

Moderna has also announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kenyan government to establish an mRNA manufacturing facility to produce up to 500 million doses of vaccines for the African continent each year, starting with drug substance (active ingredients) and potentially expanding to include fill-finish.  

Moreover, BioNTech announced plans to establish vaccine factory modules in Rwanda, Senegal, and potentially South Africa.

The modular factories, built from shipping containers and dubbed “BioNTainers,” will be equipped to manufacture vaccines based on the mRNA technology including COVID-19.

Johnson & Johnson also reached a licensing agreement with South African drugmaker Aspen Pharmacare to package, sell, and distribute its COVID-19 vaccine in Africa.

Aspen will be able to sell its own branded version of the vaccine, called Aspenovax, to all 55 African countries and multilateral entities supporting Africa’s vaccination plan.

For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.