In July 2025, Senegal became the first African country to begin large-scale production of a malaria vaccine, marking a historic shift in the continent’s ability to locally produce life-saving drugs. The Institut Pasteur de Dakar, with $150 million backing from the EU, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Africa CDC, started manufacturing doses of the R21 vaccine.
Malaria kills over 600,000 people annually in Africa, mostly children under five. Until now, vaccine supply depended entirely on imports.
“This milestone proves Africa can build self-reliant health systems,” said Dr. Amadou Sall, Director of Institut Pasteur. “It’s not just about saving lives but building an entire vaccine economy.”
Investors are eyeing the opportunity: venture capital firm Novastar Ventures announced a $40 million health manufacturing fund in August to back local biotech firms. The initiative also ties into sustainability, as the Dakar facility runs partly on solar power.
At COP29 in Azerbaijan, African leaders highlighted vaccine sovereignty as critical for climate-resilient health infrastructure. With climate change projected to expand malaria zones in East and Southern Africa, locally made vaccines could be the difference between containment and crisis.
