Team Europe supports manufacturing of vaccines in Senegal

Producing COVID-19 vaccines in Africa came one step closer on Friday after Team Europe formally agreed to support large-scale investment in vaccine production by the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, alongside other support measures. The new manufacturing plant should reduce Africa's 99% dependence on vaccine imports and strengthen future pandemic resilience on the continent.

Team Europe is providing 6.75 million euros ($8.0 million) in grant support to enable technical feasibility studies and project preparation for the new facility at the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. This amount includes 4.75 million euros from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, 200,000 euros from Germany, and 1.8 million euros from France.

The agreement is part of a major package of investment in vaccine and pharmaceuticals production in Africa launched by Team Europe in May, which brings together the European Commission, European Union member states, and the European Investment Bank, and other financial institutions, in line with the EU's Strategy with Africa and the strategy of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM).