WHO workshop on achieving quality and sustainable local vaccine production in Africa convenes in Kigali, Rwanda

RWANDA — The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a workshop in Kigali, Rwanda, with the aim of achieving quality and sustainable local vaccine production in Africa.

The three-day workshop, taking place from the 2nd to the 4th of May 2023, has been organized by the Local Production and Assistance (LPA) unit in the Regulation and Prequalification (RFQ) department.

Other organizers include Access to Medicines and Health Products (MHP) division, with the collaborative effort of the WHO country office in Rwanda.

The workshop is expected to attract delegates from 70 countries across the globe.

The theme of the workshop is “Achieving Quality and Sustainable Local Vaccine Production in Africa,” and attendees and participants are drawn from the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), UNICEF, Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM), government officials, and regulators.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia are also participating.

The Honourable Dr. Emile Bienvenu, Director General of the Rwanda Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Brian Clever Chirombo, WHO representative in Rwanda, opened the workshop and reiterated its goal to improve Africa’s ability to produce and distribute vaccines.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Bienvenu noted that “This workshop in Africa has come at the right moment as most countries in the region are committed to strengthening their local production of health products, including vaccines … I would like Rwanda FDA to keep working with WHO, as local production is an effort to be done together.”

The workshop will focus on the main pillar of the LPA, using it to bolster discussion on how to build vaccine production capacity in Africa that is sustainable and quality assured.

Additionally, the workshop will cover a wide range of topics related to vaccine production, such as guiding conducive local manufacturing ecosystems, understanding and achieving compliance with current WHO-prescribed standards for vaccines.

Other areas of interest include building enabling environments for quality assurance and sustainability, and fostering and strengthening partnerships for vaccine production in Africa.

This workshop is timely for Africa, as some member countries have embarked on local vaccine production to meet their domestic supplies and needs.

For example, Kenya recently partnered with Belgian-based Univercells to establish a biotech center in Nairobi for the development of vaccines and improve healthcare access in the country.

Meanwhile, Senegal, through the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to bolster the manufacture of vaccines and promote equitable access to vaccines in Africa.

In another development, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently launched its mRNA vaccine technology hub in South Africa to help poorer countries that struggle to access life-saving medication.

This is seen as an important move for local African pharmaceutical manufacturers, as it will serve as the nerve center for exchanging technology ideas to be used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products, saving Africa from over-dependence on Western countries for imports.

Overall, this workshop aims to contribute significantly to efforts aimed at developing and improving the capacity for vaccine production in Africa.

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