Kenya Seeks Strategic Vaccine Partnership with IVI to Boost Africa’s Health Security
Kenya is requesting IVI’s technical support and resource mobilization expertise to ensure the center is designed and operational by the end of 2025.
Health CS Aden Duale meets IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim at WHA78 in Geneva to explore strategic vaccine partnerships for Kenya and Africa. Photo/Ministry of Health.
By Robert Assad
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has held high-level bilateral talks with Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.
The meeting focused on forging strategic partnerships to enhance vaccine research, development, and manufacturing capacity in Kenya and the broader African region.
Duale emphasized Kenya’s commitment to becoming a regional hub for vaccine production, citing several proposals designed to fast-track this ambition.
At the core of the discussions were joint vaccine research projects under the Africa Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) and the Africa Vaccine Expertise Collaboration (AVEC) platforms.
Kenya is seeking IVI’s collaboration to co-develop and submit at least two proposals by the end of 2025. These projects will focus on vaccines targeting regionally endemic diseases such as Rift Valley Fever, Chikungunya, and Dengue.
The Cabinet Secretary also proposed the establishment of a Regional Biomanufacturing Workforce Development Centre of Excellence in Kenya.
This center aims to be a key institution for building technical capacity in biomanufacturing through simulation laboratories, GMP-compliant training programs, and apprenticeship modules.
Kenya is requesting IVI’s technical support and resource mobilization expertise to ensure the center is designed and operational by the end of 2025.
Duale further urged IVI to expand Kenya’s participation in the Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing (GTH-B). While appreciating current capacity-building efforts, he called for the training quota to be increased to at least five Kenyan participants per cycle.
Priority will be given to individuals from Kenya Biovax, regulatory authorities, and academic institutions.
Another key area of discussion was the pending Host Country Agreement (HCA) between IVI and the Kenyan government.
The two parties committed to swift implementation following the agreement’s signing, including quick-start initiatives like site assessments, joint technical missions, and expert secondments within 60 days.
Accompanied by Ambassador Fancy Too, Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, and Dr. Patrick Amoth, Director General of Health, CS Duale reiterated Kenya’s readiness to lead vaccine innovation in the region.
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