The financing forms part of an expansion programme that will raise Biovac’s total annual manufacturing capacity up to 500 million doses. Once complete, Biovac is expected to become Africa’s first end-to-end producer of oral cholera vaccine and South Africa’s first locally produced inactivated polio vaccine, and the first on the continent to produce inactivated polio vaccine through technology-transfer partnerships with Sanofi, the International Vaccine Institute, Biological E Limited, EuBiologics, and Bharat Biotech. For more than two decades, Biovac has been South Africa’s primary vaccine supplier,

Africa currently imports more than 99 percent of the vaccines it uses, even though the continent carries a disproportionate share of the world’s vaccine-preventable disease burden. In response, the African Union aims to produce 60 percent of the continent’s vaccines locally by 2040. (https://apo-opa.co/4c0qcoV) Beyond vaccines, the project is projected to create around 340 full-time jobs, with an estimated 43 percent of these roles going to women and 30 percent going to youths. Biovac, which already employs more than 300 staff — half of them women — will also expand training in vaccine manufacturing, quality control, and regulatory science in partnership with local universities and other regional training institutions.

“This investment in Biovac is about much more than expanding vaccine production capacity. It is about building Africa’s health sovereignty, strengthening regional value chains, and creating industrial capabilities that will enable the continent to respond more effectively to future health emergencies,” said Solomon Quaynor, the Bank Group’s Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation. “By supporting Africa’s first end-to-end oral cholera vaccine manufacturing facility and the continent’s first local production of inactivated polio vaccine, we are helping transform Africa from a consumer of imported vaccines into a producer of critical health solutions.”

“We welcome the African Development Bank as a partner in this landmark project and are proud that an institution so central to Africa’s development sees in Biovac the same opportunity we see, a chance to fundamentally shift the continent’s relationship with its own health security,” said Biovac Chief Executive Officer Morena Makhoana. “The project will shift the narrative from majority-imported vaccines to majority-exported vaccines. This is part of changing that reality permanently. This is what Africa’s health sovereignty looks like in practice, and we are honoured to be building it.”

The Bank Group’s support for Biovac aligns with its broader commitment to developing Africa’s pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing ecosystem, creating quality jobs, fostering innovation, and advancing African Union targets.

“This project allows one of Africa’s most experienced manufacturers to scale up exactly where the need is greatest: vaccines that protect children from cholera, polio, pneumonia and meningitis,” said Kennedy Mbekeani, the Bank Group’s Director General for Southern Africa, and Country Manager for South Africa.

The expansion project is also designed to plug directly into the continent’s emerging vaccine-financing architecture, including Gavi’s African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), (https://apo-opa.co/4c1QFT4) a $1.2 billion mechanism that rewards African manufacturers with milestone payments once they reach WHO prequalification, plus a per-dose top-up on vaccines supplied through UNICEF tenders.

Biovac’s new facility is expected to be completed by 2028 and will initially produce vaccines for cholera (oral) and subsequently for polio (IPV), pneumonia (PCV), and meningitis (MenX).

The Bank joins a syndicate of development finance institutions backing the project. The syndicate is led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and supported by a long-term quasi-equity facility from the Human Development Accelerator (HDX) programme, a European Union-backed initiative implemented by the European Investment Bank in partnership with the Gates Foundation. The package is complemented by grant funding and support from other global health partners for technology transfers that will bring new vaccines into Biovac’s portfolio.

Biovac is a South African biopharmaceutical company established in 2003 in partnership with the South African government to develop local vaccine manufacturing capability. Based in Cape Town, it currently manufactures and supplies much-needed routine paediatric vaccines and has delivered more than 450 million vaccine doses to countries across Southern Africa, including COVID-19 vaccines.

Developed by Afreximbank in partnership with King’s College Hospital, London, AMCE was established to help transform specialist healthcare delivery in Africa, by strengthening clinical capacity, advancing research and education, creating a sustainable ecosystem for world-class care on the continent and in turn, reducing dependence on medical travel abroad.

In its first year of operation, AMCE has moved from vision to measurable impact, demonstrating how development finance can transform healthcare on the continent.

The Centre has registered over 5,000 patients from more than 20 countries across four continents, underscoring its growing role as a regional and global referral centre for advanced specialist healthcare.

Beyond the numbers are lives already being transformed. During its first year, AMCE has achieved several important clinical milestones. The Centre delivered West Africa’s first Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer, treating an octogenarian with a localised lung tumour using a highly precise, non-invasive technique that previously required many patients to travel abroad. The Centre also completed its first complex Triple Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG), demonstrating that advanced cardiac care can now be delivered to global standards within Africa. AMCE also successfully completed two Stem cell transplants.

Its advanced laboratory has processed more than 40,000 diagnostic tests and investigations, completed 10 open-heart surgeries and 11 cardiac surgical procedures under the cardiac programme, administered 99 catheterisation laboratory procedures, and 173 anaesthesia-supported procedures in just a year.

Additionally, the Centre has commenced Nuclear medicine services, with Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT) imaging now available for bone scans, renograms, and perfusion scans, while Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) imaging is scheduled to commence later in the year.

Speaking during the visit, Dr. Elombi applauded the remarkable progress recorded by the Centre within its first year of operation, describing it as a compelling demonstration of African excellence, institutional resolve, and shared purpose. He stated: “The success of this Centre reflects the depth of talent assembled here and the pan-African spirit that underpins its service. The vision that inspired the conception and construction of this facility is the same conviction now being carried forward by the medical professionals delivering care to the continent. The AMCE provides health services and advances Africa’s health sovereignty while affirming our collective capacity to take responsibility for our own lives and future. The AMCE is a world-class quaternary healthcare facility delivering medical services of a standard that many would previously have sought beyond the continent. Nigerians, and citizens across Africa, must take full advantage of this facility—built by African institutions with the steadfast support of our governments.”

AMCE Chief Executive Officer, Brian Deaver, said Dr. Elombi’s visit marks an important milestone in the Centre’s journey and provides an opportunity to reflect on the impact AMCE has made in just one year.

“Our progress, from pioneering clinical achievements to earning growing trust across the region, demonstrates that Africa can build and sustain world-class centres of excellence. With Afreximbank’s continued vision and support, we remain committed to advancing patient care, research, education and innovation to strengthen health systems across the continent”.  Deaver noted.

Dr Elombi also toured key clinical departments, interacted with healthcare professionals and staff, and received updates on the Centre’s operational performance, clinical achievements and long-term expansion plans. He thanked the facilities’ employees for their commitment to building a new benchmark for specialist healthcare in Africa, noting that the Centre’s early achievements reflect the dedication, professionalism and shared vision of its workforce.

Today, AMCE employs more than 600 clinical and non-clinical professionals, representing 12 nationalities, and reflecting its growing reputation as a destination for highly skilled healthcare professionals. Earlier this year, the Centre also earned Great Place to Work® Certification, with 90 percent of employees affirming it is a great place to work.