June 4, 2024, SEOUL, Republic of Korea – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) hosted an event on the sidelines of the inaugural 2024 Korea-Africa Summit, bringing together government officials, public health experts, and industry leaders to foster partnerships with a shared aim of enhancing vaccine access and health security in Africa.
Inspired by the Summit’s theme, “The Future We Make Together: Shared Growth, Sustainability, and Solidarity,” the side event explored opportunities for Korean African public-private partnerships to deliver on the African Union’s ambition to manufacture 60% of the continent’s vaccine needs by 2040. Presentations from each of the hosting organizations as well as a series of best practice case stories from the point of view of global health funders, vaccine manufacturers, government and inter-governmental agencies, and academia, namely, the RIGHT Foundation, Biovac, EuBiologics, IVI, Africa CDC, and Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, all highlighted the importance of multilateral and multisectoral cooperation to meet this target and other African development goals. The ongoing projects between these partners showcased a comprehensive and sustainable approach to strengthening the continent’s vaccine ecosystem.
The Korea-Africa Health Partnerships: Enhancing Vaccine Access and Health Security in Africa side event took place on Tuesday, June 4, 2004, at The Westin Josun in Seoul, Republic of Korea. View the full agenda here.
Dr Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said: “With its headquarters in Korea, a new Africa Regional Office based in Rwanda, the Country and Advancing Vaccine End-to-end Capabilities in Africa (AVEC) Project Office in Kenya, and a long history of working closely with and among government agencies, research groups, academic institutions, and commercial entities in Africa, IVI is delighted to help facilitate and build Korean-African health partnerships to advance vaccine access in Africa. A core tenet of IVI’s approach to sustainable global health is building impact-driven partnerships and capacities throughout the vaccine R&D ecosystem, and we are happy to collaborate with Africa CDC and KDCA to realize our common goals.”
Dr Youngmee Jee, Commissioner of KDCA, said: “The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has formulated the National Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan to ensure the prompt availability of vital medical countermeasures, including vaccines and therapeutics, within 100 to 200 days to prepare for future pandemics effectively. In addition, KDCA will forge strong collaborations with the IVI and the Africa CDC to successfully develop vaccines for emerging infectious diseases and firmly establish Korea as a global leader in health security.”
Dr. Raji Tajudeen, Ag. Deputy Director General of the Africa CDC said: “The Africa CDC’s New Public Health Order calls for respectful and action-oriented partnerships; our collaboration with IVI and KDCA is a foremost example of a successful partnership that aims to join hands with the continent’s initiative to achieve self-reliance when it comes to vaccines and other health products.” He further said: “The continent looks forward to leveraging the technology advancements of Korea to strengthen Africa’s health systems through equitable access to locally manufactured life savings vaccines.”
In the context of the broader Korea-Africa Summit, attendees of the side event recognized a valuable opportunity to leverage the growing economic and political ties between Korea and African countries and advance health partnerships and projects through the exchange of best practices, technical assistance including development assistance, technology transfers, and capacity-building.
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About IVI
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.
IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.
IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya. IVI additionally co-founded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute in Hong Kong and hosts Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 41 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.
About KDCA
Tracing its roots back to the Model Public Health Center in 1945, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has evolved significantly. In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, it was elevated to an independent vice-ministerial-level organization. This transformation underscores its crucial role in conducting evidence-based responses to public health threats.
KDCA’s core strategies include:
- Protecting people from infectious diseases and building a safe society,
- Reducing the national disease burden through effective chronic disease management and
- Securing healthcare research and development capacity to prepare for and respond to disease risks.
Recognizing the importance of global health security, KDCA has continuously expanded its cooperation with various bilateral and multilateral partners, including IVI, Africa CDC, etc. It has also been expanding technical support through Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects in developing countries such as the African continent, ASEAN member states, Laos, and Mongolia.
For more information, please visit https://www.kdca.go.kr/index.es?sid=a3
About Africa CDC
About Africa CDC: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is the African Union’s continental autonomous public health agency that supports member states in strengthening health systems and improving surveillance, emergency response, and prevention and control of diseases. Learn more at: http://www.africacdc.org
CONTACT
IVI:
Aerie Em, Global Communications & Advocacy Manager
Tel: +82 2 881 1386 | Email: aerie.em@ivi.int
KDCA:
Hae Soo Park, Assistant Director, International Affairs
Tel: +82-43-719-7762 | Email: hpark2@korea.kr
Africa CDC:
Margaret Edwin, Director of Communication & Public Information Division: Africa CDC Tel: +251 986 632 878 | Email: EdwinM@africacdc.org
