By Jameson
The 16th Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Annual Scientific and Health (KASH) Conference opened today in Nairobi, bringing together scientists, policymakers, development partners and industry leaders to chart the future of vaccine research, innovation and manufacturing in Kenya and across Africa.
Held under the theme “The Future of Health: Scientific Research, Innovations, Technologies and Manufacturing for a Resilient Universal Health Coverage (UHC)”, the conference highlighted the growing urgency for African countries to build local capacity for vaccine development and production amid shifting global financing structures and the ever-present threat of future pandemics.
Speaking at the conference, KEMRI Acting Chief Executive Officer and Director-General Prof. Elijah Songok said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed Africa’s heavy dependence on external vaccine supplies and reinforced the need for self-reliance.
“When COVID-19 hit, one of the biggest lessons we learned was that without local vaccine capacity, African countries will always be playing catch-up,” Prof. Songok said. “Vaccine nationalism made it clear that we must be prepared to protect our own populations.”
He added that the gradual transition of African countries from donor-supported vaccine financing mechanisms, including Gavi, has made local vaccine manufacturing no longer optional but essential. “We do not know when the next pandemic will come, but it will come. Preparedness is not a choice,” he said.
Prof. Songok outlined KEMRI’s strengths across the vaccine value chain, ranging from disease surveillance and pathogen genotyping to clinical trials, pharmacovigilance and community engagement. He noted that the institute operates more than 21 clinical trial sites across the country and maintains advanced laboratory infrastructure and biobanks, supported by over 400 specialized scientists, many of whom focus on vaccine research.
Beyond research, KEMRI is investing heavily in human capital through graduate training programmes aimed at producing high-level scientists for Kenya, the wider African region and the diaspora. “Vaccines are not just products; they are systems that require skills, trust and strong institutions,” he said.
Dr. Wesley Rono, Chief Executive Officer of Kenya BioVax Institute Limited, said Kenya currently imports about 99 per cent of its vaccines, a situation he described as unsustainable for both health security and economic development.
“During outbreaks, this level of dependence leaves us exposed,” Dr. Rono said. “At the same time, it is not sustainable to continue importing routine childhood vaccines when we have the potential to build capacity locally.”
Established in the aftermath of COVID-19, Kenya BioVax is positioning itself as the country’s flagship vaccine manufacturing entity. Dr. Rono explained that the institute is starting with fill-and-finish operations, a critical entry point into vaccine production, before gradually progressing toward full end-to-end manufacturing.
“Vaccine manufacturing is capital-intensive and highly regulated. A single fill-and-finish line can cost upwards of 50 million dollars,” he said. “But as you move along the value chain, you don’t just create products — you build skills, jobs and long-term resilience.”
He emphasized the need for continental market consolidation, noting that fragmented procurement across African countries raises costs and threatens the viability of local manufacturers. Kenya BioVax, he added, is working closely with the Ministry of Health, Africa CDC and other continental bodies to ensure locally produced vaccines are prioritized.
Prof. Tom Kariuki, Chief Executive Officer of the Science for Africa Foundation, said sustained investments in science, research and innovation are essential for Africa’s socio-economic transformation.
“Vaccines are one of the greatest innovations humanity has ever made,” Prof. Kariuki said. “They are the reason we survive and thrive, yet Africa still depends heavily on discoveries made elsewhere.”
He argued that true self-reliance must go beyond manufacturing to include local discovery, intellectual property ownership and commercialization. “If we only test vaccines discovered elsewhere, the patents are not ours. We must invest in our own scientists, our own ideas and our own institutions,” he said.
Prof. Kariuki also stressed the importance of strengthening science education and creating clear pathways for young people to enter high-value STEM careers, while linking laboratory research to the marketplace through biotechnology startups and spin-off companies.
Representing the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Ondari Mogeni, Government Relations Manager for Africa, said successful vaccine development requires coordination across the entire value chain — from discovery and clinical trials to regulation, WHO pre-qualification and market access.
IVI, which operates in 23 African countries, has partnered with KEMRI for over a decade, contributing disease burden data that informed the introduction of vaccines such as the typhoid conjugate vaccine in Kenya. Mr. Mogeni also cited IVI’s role in developing the oral cholera vaccine, whose technology was transferred to industry to ensure affordable global access.
“For vaccines to reach the market and be procured by Gavi and UNICEF, WHO pre-qualification is essential,” he said. “Partnerships are critical if we are to achieve sustainable, end-to-end vaccine manufacturing on the continent.”
Africa has long relied on other regions particularly the Americas, Europe and Asia for its vaccine supply, a global health imbalance that has constrained access and left the continent vulnerable during health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and more recent zoonotic disease outbreaks, including Mpox and Marburg.
Currently, at least five African countries manufacture vaccines at different levels. Some focus primarily on fill-and-finish operations, while others have achieved end-to-end production. Institut Pasteur in Senegal, for example, has manufactured yellow fever vaccines for decades. Countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia and Cameroon have historically produced animal vaccines and are now seeking to expand into human vaccine manufacturing.
