Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI), Dr Sodzi Sodzi-Tettey, has revealed that Ghana is actively preparing to pre-qualify local companies to manufacture vaccines for the nation and the broader African market. This move follows Ghana’s participation in the Africa Pool Procurement Mechanism, which is intended to create opportunities for local vaccine manufacturers to compete in the continent’s supply chain. The initiative stems from Ghana’s decision to shift away from solely importing vaccines and instead, to manufacture and supply selected vaccines, rather than simply importing them. He confirmed that a regional meeting will be held in Accra in November to begin the process of identifying and vetting companies capable of participating in the application process. The meeting will launch an application process that will assess and pre-qualify Ghanaian companies, with the leadership of the pool procurement mechanism in Accra leading the effort. Dr Sodzi-Tettey stated that interested companies will need to demonstrate their manufacturing capacity – specifically, the volume and type of vaccines they can produce – to successfully pass the pre-selection stage. Successful companies will then be able to participate in tenders and potentially supply vaccines beyond Ghana. ‘Once you are pre-selected,’ he explained, ‘it means you can apply, and then you can access the continental market of over 1.4 billion people.’ The Gavi-supported Africa Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator Initiative is also a key factor driving this expansion. The initiative offers incentives, including a program called Africa Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator Initiative, which aims to encourage vaccine production in Africa, particularly in areas requiring more complex manufacturing capabilities. Dr Sodzi-Tettey also emphasized that Ghana is initially focusing on a product that does not receive subsidies, to allow local manufacturers to build capacity before expanding into more complex production. ‘We started with a product that has no subsidies,’ he said, ‘so to speak.’ He added that the expectation is for governments to purchase that and then we go into more complex manufacturing, which we can then supply to the rest of the market.’ Ghana is also investigating research and development for diseases currently lacking established vaccines, including mpox and Ebola, with a goal of developing new vaccine candidates and addressing future health threats. A UK-led trial of an Ebola vaccine developed in just eight weeks is underway, demonstrating significant progress towards creating a viable vaccine candidate. The initial focus will be on vaccines that are already established, with the aim of establishing manufacturing capabilities before expanding into more complex production. Dr Sodzi-Tettey further noted that the initial focus will be on vaccines that do not receive such subsidies, allowing local manufacturers to build capacity before expanding into more complex production. He explained that the expectation was for governments to purchase that and then we go into more complex manufacturing, which we can then supply to the rest of the market. The initial manufacturing program will focus on vaccines that are already established, but Ghana also looks at research and development for diseases that currently have no established vaccines. ‘So, the manufacturing is now focusing on established vaccines,’ he said.”}
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Source: Adom Online
