By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Science and technology minister Blade Nzimande has said that Africa must build a resilient, inclusive, and self-sustaining vaccine ecosystem.
Nzimande was speaking at a strategic dialogue on local vaccine production in Johannesburg attended by Gavi board chair José Manuel Barroso, senior European Union and German diplomats, officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners.
He said South Africa sees vaccine innovation as a pillar of its industrial and public health policy, driven by cooperation between the Departments of Science, Technology and Innovation, Department of Health, and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
He named a series of milestones, including the establishment of Biovac as “a public private partnership that has become a cornerstone of our vaccine manufacturing landscape” and South Africa’s participation in the WHO-hosted mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Hub, which he said was “building next-generation vaccine R&D capacity in Africa”.
Nzimande said entities such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) “are supporting vaccine R&D and skills training for the next generation of scientists” and pointed to a National Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing Strategy that aims “to consolidate our national efforts in vaccine development, translational research, and manufacturing”.
Through the Health Products Master Plan led by the trade and industry department, South Africa was “strengthening the broader pharmaceutical manufacturing value chain, ensuring that vaccine production is part of a coordinated industrialisation agenda,” he added.
Nzimande praised the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and Biovac, saying: “I commend Biovac, and SAHPRA for their exceptional leadership and technical collaboration in strengthening local capacity and ensuring regulatory excellence.”
He said their work was “vital in strengthening regulatory systems and enabling South Africa to achieve WHO-Listed Authority status”.
Despite progress, Nzimande warned that several structural obstacles still threatened the sustainability of African vaccine manufacturing.
“Local producers face limited market access and uncertain demand, which undermines investment confidence,” he said.
“The existence of fragmented regulatory frameworks across Africa increases costs and time to market,” while there was “a need for sustained investment in skills, R&D infrastructure, and technology platforms to achieve full value-chain integration”.
He said the African vaccine market was expected to quadruple in value over the next decade.
“[T]he mRNA and other advanced platforms being developed in South Africa can be utilised to tackle a wide range of diseases and position the continent at the forefront of global innovation.”
Biovac’s work on an oral cholera vaccine, backed by international partners, “represents an inspiring example of local capability aligned with global needs,” Nzimande said.
“By 2029, we expect to see WHO prequalification and expanded manufacturing capacity for regional supply, marking a major stride for vaccine security in Africa.”
He said his recent meeting with Gavi chief executive Sania Nishtar reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to regional vaccine manufacturing and “to building diversified, resilient supply chains”.
“We must therefore ensure that the next generation of African scientists and innovators are empowered to shape a future where no country or region of the world is left behind,” he said.
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