Gavi to Propose New Incentives Aimed at Advancing Vaccine Manufacturing in Africa

With Gavi’s African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) expected to make its first cash disbursement to an African vaccine manufacturer in the second half of 2026, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today proposes further measures totaling US$189 million of additional investment to further aid development of Africa’s vaccine manufacturing sector. 

The measures, named AVMA+, are slated to be presented to Gavi’s Board in July. AVMA+ has been designed to provide additional support in two key areas, firstly addressing specific regulatory and market entry bottlenecks that are acting as a brake on investment and secondly by providing guaranteed demand to African producers by directly purchasing up to 70 million doses of African-manufactured vaccines, following competitive tender processes, once those vaccines reach the market.  

“In its first 18 months, AVMA has made remarkable progress, helping secure thirteen individual technology transfer agreements that have led to commercial-scale manufacturing facilities being built in six African countries,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “As our manufacturing partners continue down the pathway towards prequalification and full commercialisation, we believe that the new investments enabled by AVMA+ will accelerate the timelines for when African demand for vaccines will be met by local production. This is the right thing to do for Africa’s economic development and it is the right thing to do for our global health security.” 

COVID-19 laid bare the cost to Africa of relying on imported vaccines. With only 0.1% of global production in spite of the fact that the continent is home to 20% of the world’s population, it found itself at the back of the queue in attempts to secure vaccines during the pandemic. AVMA, which was launched in 2024, was designed in close collaboration with the African Union and Africa CDC to ensure such a situation never arises again by helping manufacturers to offset the upfront costs of bringing a vaccine by making a total of US$ 1 billion in incentives available for manufacturers that hit critical regulatory and supply milestones. 

With thirteen individual technology transfer agreements already signed between African manufacturers and global partners, and with US$ 3 billion in additional financing mobilised since AVMA’s launch in 2024, it is possible that the first AVMA-supported, Africa-manufactured vaccines could be deployed as early as 2027.  

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