Kenya has formally joined the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) as a Member State.
In a statement on Wednesday, June 5, President William Ruto said Kenya’s accession to the IVI strengthens the country’s resolve to achieve self-reliance in vaccine production.
This is after he attended a ceremony held to mark the country’s ratification of the IVI treaty at the agency’s headquarters in Seoul, South Korea.
During the ceremony, President Ruto raised the Kenyan flag before the national anthem was played.
He noted that the increased availability of vaccines will improve Kenya’s primary health care services and adequately support disease prevention.
Ruto said Kenya had learnt important lessons from the challenges of access to vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasised the commitment to reduce reliance on external manufacturers of vaccines and other medicines.
“The time has come for Africa to realise health sovereignty by freeing itself from dependence on unsustainable frameworks and accelerating initiatives to become self-sufficient in vaccine production,” he said.
The Head of State said that making vaccines universally accessible, irrespective of nationality and status, was an urgent imperative that needed to be addressed.
President Ruto thanked IVI for announcing the establishment of a country and project office in Nairobi, saying it would support Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage agenda and promote African self-sufficiency in vaccine production.
“Through this partnership, we will strive to strengthen our health systems by ensuring the security of raw materials through research, development, and manufacturing,” he said.
President Ruto also said that a tripartite agreement between IVI, the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology will further strengthen the continent’s plan for cutting-edge research and training, and thus a resilient health system.
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