ADDIS ABABA,Ethiopia – The Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) hosted a critical workshop titled, “Vaccine Research, Development and Production for Better Public Health.” The event underscored Ethiopia’s extensive history in vaccine manufacturing and addressed the nation’s current health needs.
The workshop fostered discussions on sharing vaccine knowledge, enhancing domestic capacity, promoting collaboration, tackling health challenges, and exploring new technologies. Such efforts are poised to streamline vaccine research and development, aiming to accelerate vaccine availability, increase immunization coverage, and reduce reliance on external suppliers.
Ethiopia boasts over 70 years of vaccine production experience, with nerve tissue anti-rabies vaccine production alone spanning more than seven decades since 1944. AHRI currently produces 35,000 doses of anti-rabies vaccine annually, though the country’s demand stands higher, estimated at 55,000-60,000 doses.
AHRI Director General Professor Afework Kassu urged all stakeholders to “identify opportunities, recognize challenges, transform them into opportunities, and work collaboratively with speed and innovation towards excellence.”
Adding to this vision, Dr. Getachew Tolera, Deputy Director of the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, emphasized, “As history teaches us, vaccines are more than medicines—they are tools for justice, progress, and unity. We must ensure that every Ethiopian, and every African, has access to life-saving vaccines that are made in Africa and for Africa.”
Overall, this workshop is set to significantly contribute to advancing vaccine science, strengthening Ethiopia’s domestic capabilities, and making life-saving vaccines universally accessible.