Africa's vaccine production ambitions took a major step forward this week as South African biopharmaceutical company Biovac officially opened a state-of-the-art Product Development Laboratory in Cape Town.
The new facility, established with support from the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation , will expand Biovac's capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines using advanced technologies such as mRNA, cell culture, and bacterial platforms.
This milestone aligns with the continent's broader goal to produce at least 60 of its vaccines locally by 2040, up from the current 1, as outlined by the African Union Commission and Africa CDC.