The Government of the Republic of Kenya and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in South Korea, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish and operationalise IVI’s Country and 'AVEC Africa' Project Office in Kenya.

This agreement underscores a collaborative commitment to advancing public health through vaccine research and development, translational and field research, product innovation, and capacity building through workforce development, technical assistance, and technology transfers. This initiative is set to amplify Kenya’s efforts toward achieving universal health coverage.

The Advancing Vaccine End-to-End Capabilities in Africa (AVEC Africa) project focuses on accelerating vaccine research and development, and manufacturing across the continent by linking and enhancing existing African institutions and expertise across the vaccine value chain.

The AVEC Africa Office bolsters IVI’s strategic partnerships with Kenyan public health organizations, including the Kenya BioVax Institute, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Kenya Institute of Primate Research. This collaboration will strengthen public health initiatives, research, and vaccine development capabilities, benefiting Kenya and the entire region.

Kenya has shown a strong commitment to becoming a regional hub for pharmaceuticals and biomanufacturing, in line with President Ruto’s leadership as the African Union champion for local manufacturing. A host country agreement with the Government of Kenya is expected to be signed soon, and recruitment is underway to fill leadership positions for this country office.