Gavi approves additional $189 million to expand Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capacity
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has approved an additional US$189 million to support the development of Africa’s vaccine manufacturing industry, expanding its financial commitment as manufacturers move towards regulatory approval and commercial production.
The funding will be added to the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), a 10-year, US$1 billion financing mechanism launched in 2024 to help reduce the financial barriers facing vaccine producers on the continent. Gavi’s Board approved the additional funding at its 1–2 July 2026 meeting.
Of the new allocation, US$139 million will be used to purchase eligible vaccines manufactured in Africa, while US$50 million will support measures aimed at strengthening the wider manufacturing ecosystem. Gavi said the ecosystem funding will be implemented with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the African Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization.
The additional financing is intended to address both sides of the manufacturing challenge: helping producers reach the market while creating demand for vaccines that meet the required regulatory and procurement standards. The procurement component will operate through Gavi-UNICEF tender processes for qualifying vaccines.
AVMA was launched in June 2024 with the objective of creating commercially sustainable vaccine production capacity in Africa. Rather than providing conventional grants alone, the mechanism uses milestone-based incentives linked to manufacturing, regulatory and supply achievements.
Gavi reported in July that 13 technology-transfer arrangements were underway across six African countries, with eight African-manufactured vaccine products on a credible pathway towards WHO prequalification. The organisation also said about US$3 billion in complementary financing had been mobilised since AVMA was launched.
The programme emerged from a structural weakness exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when African countries relied heavily on international supply chains for vaccines. In its May announcement on the proposed additional financing, Gavi said Africa accounted for about 20% of the world’s population but only 0.1% of global vaccine production at the time.
For manufacturers, the new funding addresses a critical commercial issue: production capacity alone does not guarantee a viable market. By combining incentives for manufacturers with a commitment to purchase qualifying African-made vaccines, AVMA+ is designed to reduce some of the demand uncertainty associated with establishing new production lines.
Gavi’s current AVMA framework also differentiates incentives according to the extent of manufacturing undertaken in Africa. Eligible activities include full vaccine manufacturing as well as fill-and-finish operations, subject to the programme’s regulatory and eligibility requirements.
The first AVMA milestone payment is expected in late 2026, according to Gavi’s July Board documents. The organisation has said that the first vaccines supported by the programme could potentially reach deployment from 2027, although this depends on manufacturers achieving the necessary regulatory and commercial milestones.
The additional US$189 million therefore marks a further step in Gavi’s effort to build an African vaccine manufacturing base that can participate in global and regional supply chains. Its longer-term impact will depend on whether manufacturers can translate the financial support, technology transfers and procurement opportunities into sustainable production at commercial scale.
