The Mastercard Foundation, Canada, has completed a multi-year agreement with the Senegalese Foundation Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) to improve human capacity for vaccine manufacture.
MADIBA (Manufacture in Africa for Disease Immunization and Building Autonomy) is a historic $45 million cooperation that will train young Africans, particularly women, in vaccine manufacture, research, production, and distribution. To support the operations, a training center will be established.
MADIBA’s ambition aligns with the Senegalese government’s program “Plan Sénégal Émergent” (Emerging Senegal Plan), which aims to achieve self-sufficiency in pharmaceutical products by 2035. It also corresponds to the African Union’s (AU) goal of meeting 60% of the continent’s vaccine needs by 2040.
The MADIBA initiative follows the experience of vaccine disparities during the covid-19 epidemic and the need for Africa to build capacity to fulfill future vaccine demands. Not only does Mastercard care about Africans’ health and economic security, but so does the African Union (AU), and securing vaccine manufacturing domestically is a major pillar in the A.U.’s Agenda 2063.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) established the Regional Capability and Capacity Centre Network (RCCCN) earlier this year, aimed at talent development in manufacturing and research, and chose the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) as its pioneer center.
Amadou Sall, CEO of IPD, believes that the relationship with Mastercard will promote human capital development in Africa for bio-manufacturing.
He remarked that “The project is a critical pillar for vaccine equity and autonomy, as well as a significant driver of high-skilled job creation among African youth and women.”
We intend to train a workforce for MADIBA and other African vaccine makers, as well as to form relationships with African universities and to promote science education among young students.
We thank the Mastercard Foundation, as well as the MADIBA project’s other financial and technical partners, for investing in our aim to expedite equitable and sustainable access to health in Africa.”
Prior to this collaboration, Mastercard ran the Saving Lives and Livelihoods Initiative, a collaboration with the Africa CDC to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of Africans, accelerating the continent’s economic recovery.
The president and CEO of MasterCard Foundation Reeta Roy defines the collaboration and the MADIBA initiative as a continuation of the Mastercard Foundation’s Saving Lives and Livelihood Initiatives.
According to him, “This collaboration builds on the transformative intent of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative.” That is, to keep everyone safe by distributing COVID-19 vaccines while also securing Africa’s long-term health security by developing vaccine manufacturing knowledge and a workforce on the continent. In the process, our collaboration would improve the livelihoods of African youth.”
The relationship is expected to result in the quick development of professionally educated professionals in Africa to support vaccine development projects across the continent.
