Establishing a locally manufactured vaccine industry in Zambia — reducing import dependence, protecting food security, and positioning Zambia as the biosecurity hub of Southern Africa.
Zambia's animal production sector — spanning smallholder and commercial poultry and livestock — is a critical engine of food security, rural income, and national economic growth. Yet recurrent disease outbreaks continue to erode productivity and sustain deep dependence on imported veterinary vaccines.
Imported vaccines are frequently ill-matched to locally circulating strains and are constrained by fragile cold-chain infrastructure, severely limiting their effectiveness in rural and pastoral settings where disease pressure is highest.
This initiative proposes an animal vaccine R&D and manufacturing facility in Zambia — structured through a public-private partnership model under a hybrid university-based incubation and joint-venture governance framework, with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of Zambia as primary institutional anchor.
Newcastle Disease is among the most economically devastating poultry diseases in Zambia, with recurring outbreaks during rainy seasons that devastate both smallholder livelihoods and commercial operations. Cold-chain failures and strain mismatch have severely undermined existing imported vaccine effectiveness.
Foot and Mouth Disease is a highly contagious transboundary disease that devastates cattle and pig populations, restricts trade, and poses ongoing regional spillover risks across Southern Africa. Reliance on imported FMD vaccines without genotype matching leaves herds critically vulnerable.
A structured, milestone-driven pathway from feasibility through to full commercial production and SADC regional export — anchored by world-class scientific leadership and institutional governance.
We are seeking feasibility-phase funding and strategic partners to unlock this transformational initiative. Your investment will directly reduce disease burden, protect food security, and build lasting scientific capacity in Zambia and across Southern Africa.