DFC, IFC Others Back Covid-19 Vaccine Manufacturer in Senegal
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), International Finance Corporation (IFC), European Investment Bank (EIB), and AFD, the French Development Agency today announced their commitment to support Fondation Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), a vaccine manufacturer in Senegal, to bolster the production of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.
“DFC is proud to highlight our commitment to IPD, as part of our effort under President Biden’s leadership to support vaccine manufacturing capacity across the globe.
“With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Africa, this critical investment in vaccine manufacturing capacity in Senegal could not come at a better time,” said David Marchick, DFC’s Chief Operating Officer.
“Working with the IFC and European partners, our contribution will boost COVID-19 vaccinations on the African continent and contribute to long-term health and prosperity.”
The investment in IPD represents DFC’s third investment in boosting global vaccine manufacturing. DFC’s effort is a core part of the Biden Administration’s effort to boost manufacturing in multiple regions, in large and small countries and with different technologies.
It also aligns with the Administration’s COVID-19 Global Response and Recovery Framework. DFC’s support for this project also builds on collaborative work with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which have a longstanding relationship with IPD.
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged health systems around the world and highlighted both the dependency on more developed markets for pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and vaccines, as well as disparities in access to these critical products.
Working together with partner development finance institutions, support for IPD will seek to address both of these issues for Africa, not only in the context of COVID-19, but long-term.
The support from the development finance institutions (DFIs) comes at a critical time for Africa, with approximately 1 percent of Africa’s 1.1 billion people vaccinated, it has the lowest rate of vaccination of any continent.
The technical assistance will help mobilize technical and financial resources from public and private entities to contribute to the development of IPD’s vaccine manufacturing facility in Dakar. The support is a first step to grow the facility’s long-term capacity to contribute to health resilience in Africa for many years to come.
In addition to this effort, DFC recently announced that it will partner with IFC, Proparco, and DEG to provide financing to Aspen, Africa’s largest manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, helping increase capacity to support Aspen’s effort to produce COVID-19 vaccines.
DFC is also working with Indian manufacturer Biological E Ltd. to increase vaccine production capacity and produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.
In addition, the agency is working on expanding access to critical therapeutics and introducing medical equipment designed for low-resource environments. DFC’s Global Health and Prosperity Initiative will catalyze up to $5 billion in investment to projects that support the COVID-19 response and build greater health resilience.
The massive infrastructure gap in the developing world that this project seeks to address is the focus of the Build Back Better World (B3W) initiative, a strategic partnership of major democracies to help meet the developing world’s infrastructure needs in the 21st Century.
Through B3W, the U.S., together with the G7 and other partners will coordinate in mobilizing private-sector capital in sectors including climate, health, digital technology, and gender equity, from Latin America to Africa and the Indo-Pacific. DFC’s technical assistance for IPD is an example of what B3W can deliver across the globe.
DFC, IFC Others Back Covid-19 Vaccine Manufacturer in Senegal
