Public-Private Partnership Builds Africa’s First Multi-Vaccine Production Plant

European investors have announced their partnership with South African biopharmaceutical company The Biovac Institute in building Africa’s first end-to-end multi-vaccine manufacturing facility in South Africa. Biovac projects to annually produce tens of millions of doses of vaccines for cholera, polio, and pneumonia. The plant will be the continent’s first end-to-end vaccine manufacturing plant, and the largest vaccine plant on the continent.¹

The African Union Commission (AUC) and Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC) hope to ensure that 60 percent of vaccines used on the continent are manufactured in Africa by the year 2040. Currently only about one percent of vaccines are produced locally.²

The facility will handle the entire manufacturing process including formulation, filling, and packaging. The project aims to strengthen Africa’s health security and self-reliance by expanding vaccine manufacturing capacity rather than solely relying on foreign pharmaceutical companies and production facilities to deliver vaccines to populations on the continent.

The company is aiming for completion by 2028. Once operational, the site is expected to produce between 30 to 40 million doses annually.¹

Gates Foundation Funds New Vaccine Plant

Biovac secured major financing including $180 million from European partners and is also supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and the South African government. The partners said the plant could help close around 40 percent of the global cholera vaccine supply gap.¹ They stated:

The Gates Foundation is proud to support the investment in local talent and infrastructure that strengthens Africa’s scientific and manufacturing capacity, promoting health equity and security across the continent.²

European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela described the investment as an excellent example of the Global Gateway strategy in action.¹

The facility will be equipped to utilize advanced mRNA technology for vaccine production. It houses a specialized suite to formulate nanoparticles and encapsulate mRNA. According to Republic of South Africa: Science, Technology & Innovation, the facility will “allow multiple products to be developed simultaneously and foster innovation and intellectual property creation for vaccines and targeting diseases prevalent in Africa.”²

The investment into the facility is backed by a European Commission (EC) guarantee under the Human Development Accelerator program, which falls under the European Union’s (E.U.) Global Gateway strategy.¹ This European-led initiative aims for $400 billion in investments from 2021 to 2027 to boost infrastructure in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Priority projects focus on the “green transition”, digital connectivity, health systems and education sectors. The Human Development Accelerator (HDX), falls under the Global Gateway initiative and is a joint partnership between the EU Commission, European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Gates Foundation. Investments are matched by the Gates Foundation.

In addition to the vaccine manufacturing plant in South Africa, flagship projects underway by the Global Gateway strategy include advancing local vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Rwanda, building of 4G and 5G connectivity in Asia and Africa, electrification of public transport in Kenya, advancements of health systems to fight against pandemics in Southeast Asia, and strengthening of digital health systems in sub-Saharan Africa.³

Global Gateway Continues to Raise Alarm Bells

According to the Center for Global Development, the lack of transparency of the Global Gateway projects continue to raise alarm bells, including in a recent European Court of Auditors report. Writers for the Center state that, “While the European Commission is forthcoming with short descriptions of the project, we continue to be left in the dark on the details, including project selection criteria and processes, structure, financials, and implementation timelines.”⁴

If you would like to receive an e-mail notice of the most recent articles published in The Vaccine Reaction each week, click here.

¹ Africa Team. Africa’s First End-to-End Multi-Vaccine Plant to Be Built in SA. Africa Updates Apr. 19, 2026.
² Science, Technology & Innovation Department. Government welcomes Biovac’s new product development facility. Republic of South Africa Nov. 6, 2025.
³ List of Global Gateway flagship projects for 2024.
⁴ Gavas M, Granito L. What the Global Gateway Flagship Project tells us about the EU’s priorities. Center for Global Development Dec. 18, 2024.
[/expand