A global agreement of 6.75 million euros was signed on Friday July 9, 2021 between the State of Senegal and the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the establishment of a production plant for vaccines against the Covid-19. The amount will finance the carrying out of technical feasibility studies and the preparation of a regional production pole within the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. The initiative is supported by the Government of Senegal and international financial partners.
The non-repayable funding includes 4.75 million euros from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB), 200,000 euros from Germany and 1.8 million euros from France. Construction of the new plant is expected to begin this year, with production of 25 million doses of vaccine per month by the end of 2022.
“The European Investment Bank is pleased to support technical feasibility and project preparation studies for the first African COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing plant at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar. Over the next few months, we will intensify cooperation with the Senegalese government and international financial, technical and pharmaceutical partners to unlock large-scale financing, ”said Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank.
The project will significantly increase Africa’s medical and vaccine production capacities and reduce its dependence on the outside, where it imports 99% of its vaccine needs.
