Vaccine manufacturing (Biovac)
Africa imports most of its vaccines, leaving countries vulnerable to supply disruptions and limiting regional manufacturing capacity.
In 2026, MedAccess partnered with South African vaccine manufacturer Biovac, providing a $10m loan to support the construction of an end-to-end multi-vaccine manufacturing facility and strengthen vaccine supply security.
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The challenge
Public health
Africa accounts for around 17% of the world’s population and around 25% of global vaccine demand, yet more than 98% of vaccines used on the continent are imported. This dependence on overseas manufacturing leaves countries vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains and limits regional resilience during health emergencies.
Strengthening vaccine manufacturing in Africa is a priority for governments, donors and global health organisations, since the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks of relying heavily on imported products.
Market situation
Vaccine manufacturing in Africa remains a small and emerging industry. African manufacturers must compete with large global suppliers that have established production facilities, lower costs and the ability to manufacture at scale. This makes it harder for individual African suppliers to secure the long-term finance needed to expand, and harder for the wider industry to develop the breadth of capabilities required for resilient regional supply.
Much of Africa’s current vaccine manufacturing is focused on fill and finish, with fewer manufacturers covering a broader manufacturing spectrum. Building end-to-end capability, including drug substance production, can take many years and requires significant investment, technology transfer and specialist expertise.
© UNICEF/Bashir Ahmed Sujan
The product
Biovac will build a new multi-product vaccine manufacturing facility in Cape Town. The facility is expected to produce finished vaccine vials ready for use against cholera, polio, pneumococcal disease, meningitis and rotavirus through a combination of technology transfer partnerships and local manufacturing.
Once operational, the facility is expected to:
- Produce up to 50 million vaccine vials annually, equivalent to roughly 200–250 million doses.
- Establish manufacturing capacity for oral cholera vaccine drug substance in Africa.
- Support the manufacture and supply of priority vaccines for African immunisation programmes.
- Create approximately 345 skilled jobs directly, alongside thousands of indirect jobs.
© Gavi/2024/Dominique Fofanah
The partnership
MedAccess provided a $10 million loan alongside financing from development finance institutions and multilateral lenders including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), African Development Bank, African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC), Proparco and the European Investment Bank.
The financing will help Biovac construct the new facility, install specialised manufacturing equipment, complete technology transfers and prepare the site for commercial vaccine production.
The partnership will increase vaccine production capacity in Africa, strengthening regional manufacturing and supporting more sustainable health product markets.
© UNICEF/UN0428091/Yeslam
Impact
Expected impact
- Increased investment and innovation in African vaccine manufacturing to expand manufacturing capacity.
- Greater regional supply security for essential vaccines.
- Support for a more competitive regional vaccine market.
The partnership will generate significant market shaping impact by encouraging investment, strengthening supply security and helping build regional manufacturing capability.
The new facility is expected to help reach an estimated 202 million more people with vaccines manufactured in Africa over the life of the investment. MedAccess’ share of that impact is estimated at 8.8 million people.
© 2021, UNICEF / Hoang Le Vu
How we calculate the impact of this agreement
Lives changed
Impact was estimated based on the projected number of people reached with vaccines manufactured through the expanded production facility. The analysis assessed the contribution of the new manufacturing capacity over the life of the project.
Markets shaped
Impact was assessed based on the project’s ability to encourage investment and innovation, strengthen vaccine supply security and increase regional manufacturing capability in Africa.
Money saved
No direct savings are currently projected. However, vaccines produced through the facility are expected to remain competitively priced in both international and local markets.
© UNICEF/COVAX/Dhiraj Singh
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 8
SDG 9
SDG 17
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SDG 8
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for allSDG 8 targets: -
SDG 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovationSDG 9 targets: -
SDG 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable DevelopmentSDG 17 targets:
SDG 3
3.3
By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases
3.8
Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all
3.b
Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all
SDG 8
8.2
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors.
SDG 9
9.2
Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries.
9.3
Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets.
9.B
Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities
SDG 17
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
Discover more about this partnership
Key contacts
If you would like more information about this agreement, please reach out to our key contacts.
