Johannesburg - A huge investment in vaccine production will be pumping into the country by the Federal Republic of Germany’s KfW Development Bank for a five-year period.
The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, was pleased to announce the conclusion of the financing agreement.
According to the department, the grant is exclusively for financing equipment for the development, production and certification of active pharmaceutical ingredients for vaccine production in South Africa.
“It will be used, among other things, in support of the mRNA technology transfer hub that South Africa is hosting for the World Health Organization (WHO) to build vaccine manufacturing capacity in low and middle-income countries, although it will go beyond this in providing support.
“The objective of the technology transfer hub is to establish or enhance sustainable mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity in regions with no or limited capacity, introduce new technologies in low and middle-income countries, promote regional research and development, strengthen regional bio-manufacturing know-how and workforce development, and develop regulatory capabilities to support and accelerate regional approval and distribution of mRNA vaccines,” said the department.
In response to the WHO decision made during the Covid-19 pandemic, the German government indicated its commitment to supporting vaccine production in South Africa.
Nzimande said the investment would build on the strategic investments by DSI and other partners, and KfW had agreed to work in alignment with the South African vaccine manufacturing strategy.
Professor Glenda Gray, president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, said: “In addition to complementing the activities of the mRNA hub programme, this partnership will seek to provide critical support in filling gaps in the pre-clinical research domain.”
KfW will appoint an implementation consultant to support KfW and assist the SAMRC.
The duties of the consultant will be to provide sector-specific support for project planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, among other things.
Ambassador Andreas Peschke, from the German Embassy in Pretoria, said the country was at the forefront of continental efforts for local pharmaceutical and vaccine research and production.
“Its world-class research institutions and a solid industry meet the prerequisites for independent vaccine research, development and production,” he said.
The Star