‘Africa needs to make strides in manufacturing vaccines locally’

Department of Science, Technology and Innovation believes that one day Africa will manufacture vaccines.

The Department’s Acting Director-General Daan Du Toit says it is not out of Africa’s reach to manufacture the bulk of the vaccines it most needs.

He was addressing the Bio Africa convention in Durban, saying that the department’s announcement to promote local pharmaceuticals, comes at a time when science funding is scarce.

Du Toit says he believes that the country’s vaccine strategy will bear fruit.

“So yes, in difficult times, we are aware of it. But with ambition and this is what we have here and focus on strategic work I have absolutely no doubt that a decade, two decades and hopefully much shorter from now we will be looking at this strategy having that decisive impact. Not only on science in South Africa but also on public health in Africa.”

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande says that Africa needs to make strides in manufacturing vaccines locally, given the experience during the COVID-19 pandemic when certain countries monopolised the availability of vaccines leading to vaccine inequity for particularly developing countries.

“As you may recall South Africa, like most of the developing world, found itself at the mercy of grossly inhumane, selfish and outright immoral actions by governments of most industrialised countries, monopolizing and controlling the flow of life-saving therapeutics and vaccines.”

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande says it is impossible to contain pandemics in today’s globalised environment. The Minister is delivering the keynote address at the 7th annual BIOAfrica Convention taking place in eThekwini. pic.twitter.com/owe134Y3Gi

— DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & INNOVATION (@dsigovza) August 26, 2024