Kenya’s Health Ministry has signed an agreement with the International Vaccine Institute geared towards advancing the local production of childhood immunization vaccines by the latter.
Speaking during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding ceremony held at Afya House in Nairobi, Health ministry Cabinet Secretary, Dr Deborah Barasa said the partnership between her ministry and IVI will assist in establishing an ecosystem to build robust vaccine innovation and production capacities.
“This initiative will move us closer to vaccine self-sufficiency and self-reliance for the benefit of Kenyans and the entire region,” She said adding that “It is a significant milestone in Kenya’s commitment to advancing public health and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC),”.
At the same time, Dr Barasa noted that through collaboration with IVI and the establishment of the AVEC Africa Project Office in Kenya, the country was taking a bold step towards strengthening local vaccine manufacturing capacity, improving health outcomes, and safeguarding the nation against future health crises.
“This partnership is an integral part of our ongoing efforts to enhance research and development, foster innovation, and create a self-sufficient healthcare system she said adding that “By 2025, we aim to not only meet local demand but also contribute to vaccine accessibility across the continent, reaffirming Kenya’s position as a leader in health innovation in Africa.”
Dr Barasa remained optimistic Kenya will soon finalize the ongoing negotiations with IVI to officially open the office here in Nairobi.
Speaking during the occasion, the IVI Director-General, Dr Jerome Kim noted: “With this MOU with the Government of Kenya in place, we are excited to officially launch IVI’s Country and AVEC Africa Project Office in Nairobi” she added, “We are fortunate to have the strong support of the Kenyan Government as well as national health agencies and research institutions to realise the goals of AVEC Africa: a whole-of-continent approach aligned with the vaccine manufacturing goals of the Africa CDC and African Union to activate end-to-end vaccine projects based on local and regional need.’
The Advancing Vaccine End-to-End Capabilities in Africa (AVEC Africa) project focuses on accelerating vaccine research and development, and manufacturing across the continent by linking and enhancing existing African institutions and expertise across the vaccine value chain.
The AVEC Africa Office bolsters IVI’s strategic partnerships with Kenyan public health organisations, including the Kenya BioVax Institute, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Kenya Institute of Primate Research. This collaboration will strengthen public health initiatives, research, and vaccine development capabilities, benefiting Kenya and the entire region.
IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that also achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.
IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya.
