13 March 2026 — The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and Vaccines and Biotechnology City (VBC) signed a partnership agreement to support collaboration in vaccine research and development, technology transfer, and capacity building.

The partnership reflects a shared vision of advancing global health through collaboration in vaccine innovation and ecosystem development. The organizations will explore cooperation in technology transfer and manufacturing, as well as in training and capacity-building activities.

The African Union has set an ambitious goal of manufacturing 60% of the vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040. Yet, Africa currently produces only about 0.1% of the global supply of vaccines. To achieve this vision of greater vaccine supply resilience for Africa, significant investments are needed to develop a skilled workforce for deployment in the research, development, and manufacturing sectors.

In response to this workforce gap, IVI and partners are advancing human capital development initiatives under the Vaccine Ecosystem Alliance for Africa (VEA4A) and ACHIEVE Africa, supported by several philanthropic institutions. The initiatives focus on strengthening Africa’s vaccine workforce through structured training, industry-linked fellowships, and collaboration with African universities and manufacturing partners to build sustainable local capacity across research, development, and manufacturing.

The agreement was marked by a signing ceremony in Cairo, Egypt, on 10 March 2026. IVI Director General Dr. Jerome H. Kim joined the ceremony virtually.