From the newsletter
Kenya is building a $250 million vaccine manufacturing plant on the outskirts of Nairobi in partnership with the International Vaccine Institute and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. The project is expected to expand local vaccine production, research capacity and position Kenya as a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
The Konza Technopolis plant will reduce reliance on imports, limit exposure to global supply chain disruptions and generate highly skilled jobs in biotechnology, engineering and clinical research.
The facility links climate resilience with health security since it will ensure timely vaccine access, strengthen disease surveillance through digital systems and build local manufacturing, clinical trials, and research capacity for Africa.
More details
The partnership also includes collaboration to integrate artificial intelligence into vaccine development and biomedical research. The adoption of AI tools is expected to improve disease surveillance, shorten development timelines and increase the accuracy of vaccine design.
The announcement followed a bilateral meeting in Nairobi chaired by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and a delegation from the International Vaccine Institute led by Director General Jerome Kim and senior representatives from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
Talks focused on vaccine self-reliance and the use of advanced research technologies to strengthen universal health coverage. Delegates also discussed the need for strong policy frameworks to safeguard health data systems. Kenya hosts the Africa Project Office of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which coordinates efforts to build a full vaccine production value chain.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that less than three percent of global clinical trials are conducted in Africa, limiting data for local populations. The new partnership with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the International Vaccine Institute will expand Kenya’s capacity to run regionally relevant trials.
Africa’s shift to local vaccine and health product manufacturing is central to health security and resilience. By reducing import dependence, harmonising regulation, and pooling procurement, the continent aims to produce 60% of its vaccines locally by 2040. This push, backed by multi-billion-dollar financing, strengthens self-reliance and ensures faster, fairer access during future health crises.
Our take
The true power of the Konza vaccine plant lies in the people it will shape. By training scientists, engineers and regulators, Kenya is investing in skills that outlive any single facility.
These capabilities will ripple into medicine, digital health and artificial intelligence, creating industries that transform the economy. Too often, we celebrate infrastructure and overlook human capital, the real driver of progress.