CEO, Gates Foundation, Mr Mark Suzman
CEO, Biovac, Mr Morena Makhoana.
European Commission, Cecile Billaux.
Director of Partnerships, EIB Global, Mr Richard Amor.
IDC Representatives
IFC Representative, Mr Ken Osei.
AfDB Representative, Mr Arun Kumar.
Senior management of DSTI.
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is with pleasure that I represent the leadership of government to witness such a glorious achievement for our country, a progress in our ambition to achieve not only our vaccine manufacturing capabilities as South Africa, but a demonstration that vaccine manufacturing autonomy for the African continent is possible. At the high-level dialogue on future vaccine manufacturing in Africa in the midst of the COVID pandemic, the President of South Africa, His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted that the manufacturing of vaccines locally was as an important step towards African self-reliance that will help the continent meet its development aspirations. He however also stated that the plan to produce vaccines locally will only be realised through strategic partnerships and technology transfer.
On behalf of government and people of South Africa, I want to express our gratitude to the Gates Foundation for choosing South Africa as one of the countries to invest on, with regard to a state-of-the-art laboratory with advanced technologies to produce vaccines. This, for us, is a game changer. Thank you very much!
The opening of the Biovac laboratory here in Cape Town today is a huge milestone that highlights the Gates Foundation’s long-standing partnership with Biovac, a partnership that has endured many challenges, but you never gave up on us. Today, you have become a key partner that has enabled the delivery of the first end-to-end (with complete integrated process) vaccine in Africa.
What is more crucial is that the investment in this partnership is not just about machines, this investment also embodies the catalytic nature of facilities that has initiated a virtuous cycle where its existence attracts more projects, more partnerships and more investment. The investment also goes beyond vaccine manufacturing, it talks to our ambition of building a capable state, it talks to improved livelihoods and improved quality of life through healthy citizens and employment creation.
When the government of South Africa took a decision to establish Biovac, it was because we wanted to rebuild our vaccine manufacturing capabilities. Appreciating the complexities of vaccine manufacturing, a decision was taken to proceed with backward integration approach. We relied on strategic partnerships to move from packaging, to fill-finish, in the hope that one day we will develop our own vaccine from research. There were failures in various strategic partnerships, but a few successes we had kept the hope alive. I want to thank the Board and Executives for staying focused on the long-term vision even during the most difficult time, because, there were indeed difficult times. It is now a fact that Biovac has become a continental leader in vaccine development and manufacturing, thanks to your perseverance. Through several targeted grants, the Gates Foundation has also supported technology transfer for Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) production - in the next few days, we will hold special events to celebrate this achievement. These efforts aim to help Biovac and similar partners to improve access to life-saving vaccines, at affordable costs, strengthen local capabilities, and attract further investment to scale vaccine manufacturing across the continent.
The issue of vaccine capabilities and our own sovereignty is very close to us as the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, and government as a whole. The enduring pain that this country went through during COVID-19 and the frustration that came first with lack of diagnostics kits and then vaccine hoarding, is still fresh in our minds. But as we kept saying, it was important to not waste a good crisis and the coming on board by partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the European Commission, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, just to mention a few, has us today pointing on tangible programmes on the ground. Today, not only do we talk of having built mRNA vaccine manufacturing technologies capabilities through the World Health Organisation and Medicines Patent Pool (WHO/MPP) mRNA Technology Transfer Hub, we also have real testimonies of manufacturers from no less than 15 countries from Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe that have undergone training here in South Africa at Afrigen facilities – which facilities have also been established through global solidarity by the funders I have mentioned above. This has given us the flexibility, in preparation for future pandemics, to also target diseases that are a priority for us such as TB, HIV/AIDS and Malaria.
Our process to develop Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing Strategy (VIMS) is a response to these experiences. A country like South African must build health resilience and mitigate against the continent’s reliance on imported vaccines that come at a huge cost for these economies.
If anything, today we are witnessing the coming into life of the Bill and Melinda Gates mantra, you are indeed living your belief that “life has equal value”. In all corners of the world, from partnerships that give dignity to the marginalised as my Department has witnessed through various sanitation projects, to ensuring food security and nutrition and ensuring healthy societies. I recall in October 2023, when the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Gates Foundation launched the Human Development Accelerator (HDX), an initiative aimed to deploy over €1bn (Euros) in innovative financing for the expansion of health products and vaccines manufacturing capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It is a huge feat that the Gates Foundation brought together key financing partners, investors, and government representatives to highlight the value of collaborative financing models that bridge philanthropic, public, and private capital. And so, from where we are sitting this partnership is a powerful tool to unlock funding and financing for the health sector: the European Commission provides guarantees to the EIB’s venture loans to earlier stage, high impact projects. As South Africa and Africa, we are excited that this partnership architecture benefits us at this scale.
As Biovac’s plans to build a multi-vaccine manufacturing facility in South Africa that will have capacity to produce 500 million doses of vaccines per year slowly moves into gear, it will continue to seek large-scale investment, from a range of investors, including HDX. The financing would support Biovac to scale its operations and build on its successful partnerships with the Government of South Africa, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa, as well as the Gates Foundation.
I take this opportunity to commend Biovac and its quest for various vaccines manufacturing capabilities to supply the continent, working with various partners far wider than government, including Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Africa cannot and should not, in the near future, import medicines to tackle diseases. The pharmaceutical industry that we must build in the continent, with Biovac leading the charge, must result in greater medicinal autonomy, ease of cross-border supply timelines and affordability for the poor.
Additionally, Biovac must mobilize more private sector investments in this area, pharmaceutical industry in Africa can still grow 10-fold and capture a huge market share both in public health care and private healthcare provision.
In this regard, once again I convey our thanks to Mark Suzman and the Foundation, and a special thanks to Cecile Billaux. Richard Amor, Arun Kumar, and our IDC. I also thank the Biovac Board, the CEO, Dr Morena Makoana, Biovac Executives and the staff at large.
Today we have only reached a milestone, we have not arrived yet, but let’s celebrate this crucial milestone. Let me also wish you the best for the roundtable conversation a success today!
Thank you.
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