An analysis of the African vaccine manufacturing footprint, current manufacturing capacity, and scale-up plans
Despite having the highest continental incidence of mortality caused by infectious diseases in the world, less than one percent of Africa’s vaccine needs are met by products manufactured on the continent.
In response to the delays experienced by African nations in accessing COVID-19 vaccines, the continent is seeing increased interest in and support for local vaccine production. The African Union established a target of increasing indigenous vaccine production from 1 percent to 60 percent by 2040. And several manufacturers have intensified their efforts to expand or establish vaccine production on the continent with support from a variety of funders.
The surge in interest in African vaccine production raises two concerns: first, well-intentioned efforts could jeopardize the gains made over the last 20 years in ensuring supply security of affordable vaccines for routine immunization in LMICs; and second, lack of coordination by partners, funders, and manufacturers could lead to duplication of effort and conflicting initiatives.
This white paper presents an analysis of the rapidly evolving African vaccine manufacturing ecosystem by using publicly available data to identify patterns in the current manufacturing capacity, plans for scale-up, and identify opportunities and challenges facing the African manufacturing footprint as it scales up.
