Kenya Country and AVEC Africa Project Office

On November 26, 2024, the International Vaccine Institute and the Government of the Republic of Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding to establish and operationalize IVI’s country and AVEC Africa project office in Kenya.

The AVEC Africa, Advancing Vaccine End-to-End Capabilities in Africa, initiative was launched at the 37th African Union Summit on February 18, 2024 during a side event co-hosted by the Government of Kenya and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The initiative focuses on accelerating vaccine research, development, and manufacturing across the continent by connecting and enhancing African institutions and expertise across the vaccine value chain.

AVEC Africa’s initiatives include:

• A partnership with vaccine manufacturer Biovac in South Africa to facilitate the technology transfer and clinical trials of a simplified version of IVI’s oral cholera vaccine—the first end-to-end oral cholera vaccine production in Africa.
• A collaborative project with South African biotechnology company Afrigen Biologics and CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to develop a Rift Valley fever vaccine.
• The Advancing Research Capacity in West Africa project is building a regional network of sustainable clinical sites in West Africa to facilitate the development of a vaccine against Lassa fever.