MUNICH, Germany, Jul 30 – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will continue funding Kenya to help the country in developing its own vaccine manufacturing capabilities despite its lower-middle income status.
USAID also reaffirmed Its donor funding for manufacturing of vaccines in other African countries in boosting vaccine manufacturing capacity. These counties are also going to receive funds from their governments and private investors because of their earned lower-middle level status.
Speaking in Munich during the 2024 International AIDS Conference, USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health Atul Gawande in an interview with Capital FM said USAID has put funds for the manufacturing of diagnostics of medicines and vaccines in Kenya.
Kenya is building its infrastructure and expertise in vaccine production at the Kenya BioVax Institute to formulate and package vaccines by 2029 making the country more self-sufficient in public health.
“Kenya has become a place that nurtures donor governments but investors all over the world are making debts, some debts will not work and others will work but we have seen increased funding coming to kenya manufacturing for that reason,” Said Gawande.
He noted, they are working with the Kenyan government in supporting the primary healthcare systems and empowering community health workers with training and support.
Gawande added, the US merged with Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization( GAVI) and African Vaccine Alliance Accelerator this will monitor the vaccine companies that have come together that have an approved WHO prequalified vaccine.
These vaccines will include oral routine chapter vaccines and companies that will meet the Prequalification in Africa will get a payment of 20 to 50 million dollars depending on the strength of their approval in manufacturing the substance itself.
They will also get paid a subsidized price so that it centralizes the production in these counties.
“one kind of financing might be reduced and other kinds of financing are increasing and this is the pathway from low income to middle income and finally upper countries.
Through global funding the life expectancy in kenya is 72 years after the start of the HIV and TB programs in the year 2000 when barely people made it to 60 years of age. “the US life expectancy is 78 so we are this close,” said Gawande.
“we are working with Kenya in building a manufacturing center to enable production of medicines and diagnosis vaccines to support the primary healthcare system and empowering community health workers with tools,” said Gawande
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization(GAVI) and UNICEF have been supporting the Kenya National vaccination programme. They have been giving Kenya at least sh. 32 billion every year since 2001.