Why Africa Imports More Than 99% of its Vaccines

The global vaccine supply chain represents a critical intersection of healthcare, technology and economic development.

For Africa, this intersection reveals a stark narrative of vulnerability and untapped potential.

Despite accounting for 20% of the world's population, the continent provides less than 1% of global vaccine supply, importing more than 99% of its vaccine requirements and leaving nations exposed to significant health and economic risks.

The economic landscape of vaccine production

The challenge of establishing an independent vaccine manufacturing ecosystem in Africa is, fundamentally, an economic puzzle.

Moderna's abandoned US$500m mRNA manufacturing plant in Kenya illustrates the complex dynamics at play.

mRNA vaccine technology represents a sophisticated innovation, enabling rapid genetic coding delivery that trains immune systems to identify and neutralise specific pathogenic threats. Biotechnology experts anticipate these vaccines will become the predominant technological approach within the next decade, particularly for diseases disproportionately affecting African populations.

However, Moderna's project encountered critical supply chain barriers and it withdrew from the agreement citing a fundamental market challenge: zero vaccine orders from African countries since 2022. The result was in US$1bn in financial losses and write-offs.

The cancellation reflects deeper systemic challenges within African pharmaceutical procurement. Countries like South Africa continue to rely on international manufacturers such as India – dubbed the "pharmacy of the world" – for affordable vaccine supplies. The South African government's recent decision to purchase vaccines from Indian manufacturer Cipla, despite hosting its own mRNA hub in the form of Biovac, exemplifies the economic trade-offs at play.

Experts highlight a critical tension between local production capabilities and pricing pressures. While African manufacturers possess the financial resources to develop manufacturing facilities, they lack a compelling commercial strategy. The current economic model provides no substantial incentive for local manufacturers to invest in vaccine production when importing remains more cost-effective.

The South African mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub demonstrates both the potential and challenges of local manufacturing capabilities. Having trained scientists from 15 countries, including six African nations, the hub successfully developed a COVID-19 vaccination within a year. However, market dynamics rapidly shifted, forcing Afrigen, the hub's primary manufacturer, to pivot towards developing vaccines for HIV and tuberculosis.

This scenario illustrates the sophisticated risk management required in pharmaceutical supply chain strategies. Extensive development timelines, coupled with market volatility, create significant economic uncertainties that deter investment in local manufacturing capabilities.

Plugging technological gaps

Partners of the aforementioned Biovac hub in South Africa are enduring even steeper challenges. Those in Senegal, Nigeria, and Kenya are confronting significant infrastructure and technological obstacles that fundamentally challenge the continent's vaccine manufacturing ambitions.

With pharmaceutical sectors still in their nascent stages, these markets face complex supply chain barriers that extend far beyond basic manufacturing capabilities.

The primary technological constraint manifests in the form/fill/finish segment of vaccine production – the critical final stage where vaccines are packaged, quality-checked and prepared for distribution. African manufacturers remain heavily dependent on technology transfers from international pharmaceutical companies, yet current transfer mechanisms provide insufficient support for scaling regional manufacturing capabilities.

The technological complexity of vaccine production stretches beyond simple packaging. Form/fill/finish processes represent a sophisticated manufacturing stage requiring precision engineering, stringent quality control and advanced technological infrastructure. African manufacturers currently rely almost exclusively on technology transfers from established global pharmaceutical companies, but these transfers remain limited and insufficient to support comprehensive manufacturing strategies.

The African Center for Disease Control and Prevention's analysis reveals a stark technological limitation: only a handful of African companies possess the capability to produce antigens, the immune-response triggering components fundamental to vaccine efficacy. This technological deficit represents a significant barrier to establishing robust, independent manufacturing ecosystems.

Clearly, African vaccine manufacturing faces a critical challenge: local antigen production capacity falls far below regional requirements. Without strategic investments in technology, training, and infrastructure, independent vaccine production remains economically unfeasible, hindering the continent's pharmaceutical self-sufficiency and healthcare resilience.

Colonialism's damaging impact 

Meanwhile, colonial legacies continue to fundamentally shape Africa's economic and technological infrastructure, particularly in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

European colonial powers systematically constructed economic systems that prioritised extraction over development, creating deep-rooted structural barriers to independent industrial growth. These historical relationships transformed local economic landscapes, embedding dependencies that extend far beyond the formal end of colonial rule.

Technological introductions during colonial periods were intrinsically linked to oppressive economic models, which deliberately constrained indigenous innovation and self-determination. Political systems were manipulated to reward local elites who facilitated external economic interests, rather than developing robust national capabilities. This approach systematically undermined accountability and hindered independent economic planning.

Geographical realities further complicated these challenges, with uneven resource distribution and numerous landlocked countries creating additional economic barriers. Foreign aid and mass-manufactured goods, while seemingly beneficial, often weakened rather than strengthened local infrastructure and economic sovereignty.

The migration of skilled professionals, driven by opportunities in former colonial nations, continues to drain critical human capital from African economies. This brain drain perpetuates cycles of dependency, making independent technological development increasingly challenging.

Rebuilding these broken systems requires strategic, long-term investments in local infrastructure, education and technological capabilities. Vaccine manufacturing represents a critical starting point for reclaiming economic independence and challenging historical patterns of external control.

To read the second story in our two-part special, click here. 

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