Kenya and Belgium Deepen Ties with Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative Focus

Kenya and Belgium have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral health cooperation, through key strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing local vaccine production and modernizing medical waste management.

In a high-level meeting held in Nairobi, the Ag. Director General, KEMRI, Prof. Elijah Songok, accompanied the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Hon. Aden Duale, in discussions with the Belgian Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Peter Maddens. The talks reviewed progress on two major healthcare projects supported by the Belgian Government, underscoring the growing partnership between the two nations.

At the center of the discussions was the KEMRI-Unizima Bio-Manufacturing Training Hub, a flagship project designed to bolster Kenya’s capacity to produce vaccines and biotherapeutics locally. The hub is expected to significantly enhance the region’s access to life-saving medical products and align with broader public health goals.

“This facility represents a strategic investment not just in Kenya’s health system, but in Africa’s self reliance in vaccine production,” noted Prof. Songok.

The initiative supports both the government’s administration’s focus on expanding local manufacturing and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as well as the Africa CDC’s continental vision of producing over 60 percent of Africa’s vaccine needs by 2040 — a sharp increase from the current output of less than one percent.

This bilateral meeting builds on a series of earlier engagements. Notably, President William Ruto visited Unizima in Belgium on 29th, March 2023, where he held high-level talks with Belgium’s then, Minister-President Elio Di Rupo. This was followed by a strategic meeting at KEMRI Headquarters on 7th, June 2023, where KEMRI hosted a Belgian delegation to further develop the vaccine bio-manufacturing collaboration.

Also on the agenda was the Medical Waste Microwave Project, following the successful completion of its first phase in June 2021. Discussions included the path forward for the projects, which involves the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two governments, securing additional financing, scaling up staff training in Belgium, and expanding local infrastructure for waste treatment.

Present at the meeting were key government officials, including the Principal Secretary for Medical Services, Dr. Ouma Oluga, and the Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, who reiterated Kenya’s readiness to operationalize the next phase of the health initiatives in collaboration with Belgian partners.

These developments mark a significant step toward Kenya’s ambition to become a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing and modern healthcare solutions