The President Nana Akufo Addo has cut the sod for the commencement of work on the the construction of the vaccine manufacturing plant which will “will help our nation realize the dream of becoming self-sufficient in the production and manufacture of vaccines”.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony on Tuesday in the Ga West Municipality, the President said the vision manufacture vaccines in Ghana begun on 28th February 2021, in update twenty-four (24) of what has come to be known as the “Fellow Ghanaian” series of addresses to the nation.
“The vaccine nationalism that was played out by the developed world, with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, meant that we had to take urgent, critical steps towards making sure that never again would we be victims or pawns of the international vaccine order. It was imperative that we took our destiny into our own hands,” he said.
Akufo Addo explained that the the construction of DEKs Vaccines Ltd, a private sector-led consortium of Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies culminated in the announcement of the establishment, in July 2021, of the National Vaccine Institute, with seed funding of twenty-five million US dollars ($25 million) from the European Investment Bank.
“Indeed, some two (2) months ago, on 14th February 2023, the National Vaccine Institute Bill 2022 was enacted by Parliament, for which I have given assent, and whose Board of Directors will soon be out doored,” the President said
He continued, “Its establishment has enabled the National Vaccine Institute work in unison with Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Ghana, to boost our country’s capacity to be self-reliant in the production of vaccines, and bring all of us to this gathering where work on the construction of DEKs Vaccines Ltd will soon begin.”
Whilst appreciating the COVAX, AU and AVATT in COVID-19 vaccine supply initiatives, President Akufo-Addo indicated that Ghana is also venturing into vaccine development and manufacturing with her sister African countries of Rwanda and Senegal, so as to become vaccine manufacturing hubs in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The National Vaccine Institute will co-ordinate and facilitate the capacity of DEKS Vaccines Ltd and other domestic pharmaceutical companies, such as Atlantic LifeSciences, a company operating under Government’s 1-District-1-Factory Programme, which I commissioned in April 2022, to fill, finish and package mRNA COVID-19 and other vaccines such as those against malaria and tuberculosis,” the President said.
He stated that, in the short term of two (2) years, DEKs Vaccines Ltd will fill, finish, and package COVID-19 and the other vaccines for those against malaria and tuberculosis.
“In the medium-term, that is in five (5) years, the target is to continue the establishment of more domestic vaccine manufacturing plants in the country to manufacture vaccines to meet WHO GMP standards, with the long-term target being to produce a candidate vaccine in ten (10) years, using innovative technologies,” he added.
