International Vaccine Institute opens country office in Kenya

South Korea-based International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has opened a Country and Project Office in Kenya dedicated to the operations of its Advancing Vaccine End-to-End Capabilities (AVEC) initiative in Africa as well as other collaborations with Kenyan partners such as Kenya BioVax Institute across vaccine research, development, and training. AVEC Africa is an accelerator of the regional vaccine ecosystem through the implementation of end-to-end research and development projects in Africa. The grassroots model activates public-private partnerships to drive projects based on local and regional need while promoting handson training and experience to develop the products, people, policy, and infrastructure needed to power an integrated and sustainable vaccine ecosystem in Africa. The IVI Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the decision to pursue AVEC Africa as part of a regional strategy and to establish a Country and Project Office in Kenya to oversee the initiative during an Executive Committee meeting in February 2024. The Country and Project Office in Kenya will manage the implementation of the AVEC Africa initiative and its project portfolio. The Global Council, a representative body composed of IVI’s State Parties, welcomed this expansion as well as the AVEC Africa concept (previously referred to as the African Vaccine Alliance model), as outlined in a joint statement for stronger global vaccine ecosystems. The Global Council encourages IVI’s leadership, governments around the world, and partners to support this critical initiative.