Biovac secures $15 million AfDB loan to build Africa’s first end‑to‑end cholera vaccine plant in South Africa

The African Development Bank approved a loan of up to $15 million for South African vaccine maker Biovac to construct a multi‑vaccine manufacturing facility in Cape Town. The plant, slated for completion in 2028, will be Africa’s first end‑to‑end oral cholera vaccine production line, initially delivering 30‑40 million doses annually and later expanding capacity to as many as 500 million doses across cholera, polio, pneumococcal and meningitis vaccines.

The financing is part of a broader package that includes contributions from the International Finance Corporation, the European Investment Bank, the Gates Foundation and Gavi’s African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator. Biovac will use technology‑transfer agreements with partners such as Sanofi, the International Vaccine Institute, Biological E, EuBiologics and Bharat Biotech. The AfDB said the project aims to cut Africa’s reliance on imported vaccines, which currently exceeds 99%, and supports the African Union target of producing 60 % of the continent’s vaccine needs locally by 2040.