Africa: Biovac's Cholera Vaccine Test for Africa's Self-Reliance

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing The Independent (Kampala), reports that the African Development Bank Group has finalized a loan of up to $15 million for the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of South Africa, known as Biovac, to support a new multi-vaccine manufacturing facility in Cape Town. The report says the project is intended to make Biovac Africa’s first end-to-end manufacturer of oral cholera vaccine, with completion planned for 2028.

The investment is framed as part of a wider push for African vaccine self-reliance. According to the report, Africa imports more than 99% of the vaccines it uses, while the African Union has set a goal of producing 60% of the continent’s vaccine needs locally by 2040. Biovac’s expanded facility is expected to lift annual capacity to as many as 500 million doses, starting with oral cholera vaccine and later adding vaccines for polio, pneumonia and meningitis.

The report links the project to Africa’s cholera elimination target for 2030. It says Africa had recorded about 130,000 cholera cases and 2,700 deaths as of May 2025, and that leaders from 20 affected countries met under Africa CDC in 2024 to commit to stronger surveillance, coordination, water and sanitation measures, community engagement and more local vaccine production.

The article also notes that sustainable manufacturing will depend on demand, procurement and financing, not factory capacity alone. Biovac’s expansion is expected to connect with Gavi’s $1.2 billion African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which is designed to reward eligible manufacturers after WHO prequalification and successful supply through UNICEF tenders.