Gavi, the vaccine alliance has already raised $ 2.4 billion of the $9 billion it needs to finance its operations between 2026 and 2030, the global vaccine alliance announced at Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation in Paris on Thursday.
The Forum, co-hosted by France and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), also marks the launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), which aims to promote regional vaccine production.
AVMA already has financing pledges of “at least $1.2 billion”, already exceeding the initial benchmark of $1 billion, said Gavi CEO, Sania Nishtar.
When talking about AVMA, “we are not just talking about money. We are talking about people, who […] start to dream, to see Africa manufacturing our own vaccines,” said Africa CDC Director General, Dr Jean Kaseya.
Reaching zero-dose children and expanding vaccine portfolio
In the coming strategic period, Gavi plans to add new vaccines to its portfolio, prioritise “zero-dose” children who have not received any vaccines and speed up its operations to double the recent achievement of a billion vaccinated children since 2020 faster.
The bulk of its pledges – $1.58 billion – has been promised by the US. However, Gavi has about 18 months to finalise its current financing period and fine-tune the details of its plan for the years ahead.
In the 20 years of its existence, Gavi has saved 17 million lives, said Nishtar, all while maintaining a $54 return on every dollar invested.
The organisation asserts that it is on track with its 2025 targets despite the pandemic disruptions.
Its aims for the next period are more ambitious, such as extending the availability of new Ebola, meningitis, rabies and hepatitis B vaccines, put on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, regulation, or supply issues.
Decentralising vaccine production
With AVMA, Gavi is turning to regional vaccine manufacturing instead of working with the biggest producers to get low prices per dose.
This will initially cost more, but the imperative for regional production to safeguard all parts of the world became evident during COVID-19, as vaccine-producing countries prioritised jabs for their own populations, leaving Africa behind.
In response, the African Union announced a target of producing and supplying more than 60% of the continent’s vaccine requirements by 2040.
Africa is home to 20% of the world’s population and yet, it constitutes only 0.1% of the global vaccine production.
AVMA is meant as a catalyser for more investments in vaccines and drugs in the region. “I saw in so many people announcing now additional support around AVMA,” highlighted Kaseya. “For me, is a success story.”
AVMA is an innovative investment tool that will offer incentive payments to offset some of the initial high costs of production, with specific caps and categories designed to ensure priority vaccines receive adequate funding and that no vaccine type or manufacturer is overrepresented.
The minimum goal is to support at least four African vaccine manufacturers and produce over 800 million vaccine doses over 10 years.
“The launch of the AVMA represents a groundbreaking financing instrument, to help both catalyze vaccine production within Africa and bolster global health resilience and equitable access to vaccines,” said Greg Perry, Assistant Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).
“The pharmaceutical industry is committed to playing our part in the collective efforts to […] equitable access to innovative vaccines.”
