Kenya, International Vaccine Institute in Talks to Boost Local Vaccine Production
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Kenya is stepping up global health partnerships to accelerate Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through expanded vaccine manufacturing and research.
Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale and his ICT and Digital Economy counterpart William Kabogo onย ย held a high-level meeting at Afya House with a delegation from the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) led by Director General Dr. Jerome Kim.
Talks focused on the proposed USD 250 million vaccine manufacturing plant at Konza Technopolis, a flagship project aimed at building local production capacity and positioning Kenya as a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing under its bio-manufacturing strategy.
CS Duale welcomed the forthcoming collaboration between the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (K-AIST) to guide joint bio-vaccine research, saying science, innovation, and strategic partnerships are key to reversing the tide of infectious diseases.
The two Cabinet Secretaries also highlighted Kenyaโs role as host of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVEC) Africa Project Office, which will drive end-to-end vaccine capabilities from research to delivery. Projects such as the oral cholera vaccine initiative with Biovac in South Africa, they said, mark the start of a new era in African vaccine self-reliance.
CS Kabogo reaffirmed the governmentโs readiness to support biomedical research, safeguard health data systems, and align policy under the Kenya Digital Economy Blueprint to strengthen health technology collaboration with IVI.
Kenya became a State Party to IVI inย , joining five other African member states in a bid to enhance vaccine self-sufficiency and health security.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretaries Dr. Ouma Oluga (Medical Services) and John Tanui (ICT and Digital Economy), Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, Associate Professor Joo Young Kim (KAIST), and Seyeong Lee (Korean Embassy).