Construction has begun on a major vaccine manufacturing factory in Ethiopia, which, according to Health Minister Lia Tadesse, will significantly strengthen the region’s vaccine supply chain.
The vaccine manufacturing company, with a US$70 million investment, is being developed inside Ethiopia’s Chinese-built Kilinto Industrial Park on the outskirts of the capital, Addis Abeba, according to the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation.
The ShieldVax Enterprise Project, as it is known, was founded by the Council of Ministers in July 2023 with the goal of strengthening Ethiopia’s health system.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Ethiopia prioritized the development of domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity.
Ethiopia’s Kilinto Industrial Park, established by China’s Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group Co., Ltd. for 204 million dollars and focusing in the pharmaceutical sector, is one of the country’s 12 industrial parks and one free trade zone.