The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), announced is going to establish it’s Africa Regional Office in Kigali this year.
This will boost access to vaccines on the continent. The IVI Board of Trustees (BOT) confirmed Rwanda as the location for IVI’s Africa Regional Office at a meeting in February, following a detailed evaluation of proposals from five countries to host the regional office.
Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said: “We are thrilled to announce the decision to establish IVI’s Africa Regional Office in Rwanda.
This new office will play a pivotal role in providing on-the-ground support and leadership for IVI’s work in Africa, increasing IVI engagement and coordination with African stakeholders, and establishing stronger partnerships around training for vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and policy.
He added IVI’s regional office in Africa has found an excellent home in Kigali and they are proud to have the support of the Rwandan Ministry of Health and the University of Rwanda, which will be a critical technical partner.
Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Rwanda Minister of Health, said Rwanda is taking a leap in bridging the vaccine equity gap on the African continent by venturing into local production of vaccines, therapeutics and other life-saving medical products.
Minister Dr Sabin he added hosting the IVI Africa regional office is yet another milestone towards a resilient Africa with regard to potential public health emergencies and Rwanda is honored to serve as its host.
“We are committed to continuing this important partnership with IVI and to initiating similar collaborations in the future”, Minister Dr Sabin Nsanzimana said.
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.