- Kenya and Africa as a whole imports over 98 per cent of its vaccine requirements.
- Kenya will be positioned as a bio-technology manufacturing hub for the region and the continent.
Image: FILE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought the approval of MPs for Kenya’s accession to the agreement establishing the International Vaccines Institute (IVI).
In a memorandum to the National Assembly, the ministry noted that Kenya submitted a letter to IVI requesting the Board of Trustees’ approval to become a party to the IVI Establishment Agreement on November 24, 2022.
“The ratification process was approved by the Cabinet during its sitting on December 6, 2022,” the memorandum said.
IVI is a non-profit international organisation established on May 12, 1997, as an initiative of the UNDP.
Its mission is to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global public health.
IVI is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea with 39 member countries and the World Health Organisation on its treaty.
It focuses on vaccines against infectious diseases affecting the world’s most impoverished populations.
The memorandum said Kenya and South Korea have jointly agreed to support the development, manufacturing and delivery of vaccines to countries in need and facilitate joint research and biopharmaceuticals.
“As a member State of IVI, Kenya would therefore benefit from technical and hands-on training to develop skillsets across development and production processes, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, biosafety, and good manufacturing practice requirements,” the ministry said.
The ministry noted that Kenya imports over 70 per cent of her finished pharmaceutical commodity requirements and 100 per cent of raw materials thereby consuming a significant portion of the government’s and private sector health expenditure.
“Further, Kenya and Africa as a whole imports over 98 per cent of its vaccine requirements to provide immunisation services that is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions,” the ministry added.
It said establishing a local production capacity for human vaccines will support the sustainability of public healthcare programmes, promote self-reliance and contribute to national and regional economic growth.
It added that Kenya will be positioned as a bio-technology manufacturing hub for the region and the continent; and enhance national security while strengthening pandemic preparedness and planning interventions.