What you need to know about Africa’s first Covid-19 vaccine technology hub

According to the World Health Organisations, Africa currently imports around 90% of its Covid-19 vaccines and the hope is that the tech transfer hub will help slash that, with a long-term vision for the continent becoming self-sufficient in that regard.

CAPE TOWN, September 17 (ANA) -In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners from the COVAX initiative, a South African consortium is finalising a technology transfer hub to help boost and scale up mRNA vaccine production in Africa.

Earlier this year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the hub was a major advancement that would put the continent on a path to self-determination.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic had revealed the full extent of the vaccine gap between developed and developing economies.

Making the mRNA vaccines is complex business and a number of steps must be taken before safe and effective mRNA vaccines can be made in Africa, according to Dr Bartholomew Dicky Akanmori, a regional adviser for vaccine research and regulation with the WHO regional office for Africa.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases which teach body cells how to make a protein — or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response. The benefit of mRNA vaccines, like all vaccines, is that those vaccinated gain protection without ever having to risk the serious consequences of getting sick with Covid-19.

The goal of the Africa tech hub is for foreign manufacturers to share techniques with institutions on the continent to allow them to produce mRNA vaccines like the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 drugs.

During this time, WHO and its partners will ensure quality control and assist with the necessary licenses.

Akanmori added while various vaccines like those for yellow fever and tetanus were currently being made in Africa, they used a simple technology. New technologies were needed to make the mRNA vaccines, he added.

“It is far more complex process and there is no room for error, so the correct transfer of knowledge is absolutely crucial … This is why we need the transfer hubs,” he said.

Akanmori added that once all the elements were in place, around six months would be needed before any African institutions could start making Covid-19 accines.

According to WHO, Africa imports around 90% of its Covid-19 vaccines and the hope is that the tech transfer hub will change this, with a long-term vision for the continent becoming self-sufficient in that regard.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa