South Africa’s (SA) Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau says the expansion project to build Africa’s first end-to-end multi-vaccine manufacturing site at SA’s Biovac plant in Cape Town, Western Cape province can play a major role in growing the economy.
The expansion was announced after Biovac secured a financing package of around R1.8 billion ($110 million) from various international stakeholders last month.
This will advance self-reliance in vaccine production for SA and the African continent after huge gaps were identified during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tau was speaking during a sod-turning ceremony for the new facility at Biovac’s site in Cape Town.
“ These are certainly high-end jobs that we are talking about. These are researchers, these are chemists, these are engineers that participate in the research and development processes of vaccines and pharmaceutical products, and I think it’s important for the growth of SA’s economy. We have prioritised the pharmaceutical sector as an important focus area for the country.”
—SABC—
