In a breakthrough moment for Africa’s vaccine independence, two landmark deals could help put the continent on a path to becoming a producer, not just a buyer, of life-saving vaccines.

For the first time, an end-to-end mRNA vaccine production platform will be built in Africa, with plans to manufacture 100 million doses annually. A separate cross-continental partnership is advancing homegrown mRNA technology. These landmark agreements, signed in Cairo, are backed by a $1.2 billion investment from Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. They aim to ensure vaccines are made by Africa, for Africa, and set the stage for expanded local vaccine production and cross-continental collaboration.

The first deal, signed in Cairo on the sidelines of the 2nd Vaccine & Other Health Products Manufacturing Forum, brings together EVA Pharma (Egypt) and European biotech firms DNA Script (France), Quantoom Biosciences (Belgium), and Unizima (Belgium) to establish Africa’s first “digital-to-biologics” end-to-end mRNA vaccine production platform. The facility is expected to produce up to 100 million vaccine doses annually, a significant boost for Africa’s ability to respond rapidly to infectious disease outbreaks and strengthen routine immunization programs.

In a second agreement, Biogeneric Pharma (Egypt) and Afrigen (South Africa) will expand their collaboration on mRNA vaccine technology development, reinforcing cross-continental expertise in cutting-edge mRNA vaccine applications to new diseases that have a high burden in Africa. 

“These agreements are proof that Africa is no longer just a buyer of vaccines—we are becoming producers,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, at the conference’s closing ceremony. “This is the future of health security on the continent.”

Gavi’s $1.2 Billion Investment to Drive Manufacturing Growth

The two deals were announced alongside a broader effort to accelerate vaccine manufacturing in Africa, backed by a $1.2 billion investment from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The catalytic investments, recruited for Gavi’s newly formed African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), launched in June 2024, will be deployed over the next ten years to incentivize African manufacturers to produce priority vaccines, such as cholera and mRNA-based immunizations. AVMA leverages Gavi’s role as one of the world’s largest purchaser of vaccines to promote local manufacturing in Africa. Crucially, Gavi’s financial model ensures that licenses are held by African manufacturers, keeping intellectual property and production capacity on the continent.

“This is about building a sustainable vaccine ecosystem in Africa,” said David Kinder, Director of Development Finance at Gavi. “We are using our market power to drive investment where it’s most needed—ensuring Africa can produce its own vaccines, for its own people.”

Securing Demand and Regulatory Readiness

At present, while demand for vaccines in Africa is valued at over US$ 1 billion annually – Africa’s vaccine industry provides only around 0.1% of global supply. The African Union has set a target for the continent to produce 60% of the vaccines it needs by 2040.

While some new investments in vaccine production were made on the wave of interest created by the COVID pandemic, such as the Afrigen mRNA research hub, launched with WHO support in 2022, and BioNTech’s modular mRNA vaccine facility, in Rwanda, African manufacturers still face a major challenge: securing stable demand. Historically, global health agencies and African governments have sourced vaccines from long-established manufacturers in the Global North, leaving local producers struggling to compete.

To address this, officials at the Cairo summit called for a continent-wide pooled procurement mechanism, modeled after Egypt’s Unified Procurement Authority (UPA). Egypt’s system has successfully lowered costs and stabilized supply chains, and experts believe a similar approach at the African Union level could ensure consistent demand for vaccines produced within Africa.

“We must ensure that African-made vaccines have a guaranteed market,” said Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population. “A pooled procurement system could be a game-changer, ensuring fair pricing and sustainability.”

Another critical issue discussed at the forum was Africa’s regulatory capacity. While manufacturing is expanding, vaccines must meet strict international quality standards to be used across the continent and beyond.

In December 2024, Egypt achieved WHO’s Maturity Level 3 in terms of the quality of its national regulation of vaccines and medicines – following South Africa, which reached that milestone in 2022.  The African Medicines Agency (AMA) , still in the process of establishment, is supposed to lead effort to harmonize regulatory approvals across Africa, making it easier for locally made vaccines to reach wider markets. See related stories here:

African Medicines Agency Countdown

Gavi’s Replenishment and Africa’s Push for Funding

The investments in African manufacturing come at a pivotal moment for Gavi, which is seeking $9 billion in new funding for 2026-2030 to sustain its work in Africa and beyond.

At the Cairo forum, African leaders threw their support behind Gavi’s replenishment effort, pushing for global donors to meet the funding target.

“We need a well-funded Gavi,” said Dr. Kaseya, who pledged to push for African leaders to back Gavi’s funding request at the upcoming African Union Assembly.

Momentum for local vaccine production will continue in June 2025, when Africa’s first annual vaccine and biopharmaceutical manufacturing exhibition, Africa Excon, will be held in Egypt. The event will showcase progress in local production and attract investment, ensuring Africa’s vaccine ambitions continue to gain traction.

Despite the challenges, leaders at the Cairo summit were optimistic about the future. “We are no longer just talking about vaccine sovereignty,” Dr. Kaseya said in his closing remarks. “We are making it happen.”

Image Credits: Rodger Bosch for MPP/WHO, BioNTech.