Dr. Joseph Gichuru, APHRC’s Deputy Executive Director and Dr. Jerome H. Kim, IVI’s Director General sign the MoU
On Thursday, October 30, 2025, in a strategic move to strengthen collaboration in vaccine research and development across Africa, the Africa Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the APHRC Campus in Nairobi.
This partnership establishes a strategic framework for joint efforts in vaccine research to discover, develop, and deliver vaccines in Africa; policy engagement and communication; strengthening the clinical trial ecosystem; capacity development; and resource mobilization. The two organizations will focus on tackling infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, APHRC’s Executive Director, noted, “In a world that is significantly changing, as APHRC, we choose not to lose sight of opportunities that come our way, particularly those that may impact the Global Health architecture. The Center is committed to a meaningful collaboration that goes beyond an MoU, to contribute to a stronger Research and Development ecosystem in Africa.”
On his part, Dr. Jerome H. Kim, IVI’s Director General, stated, “As Africa builds capacity for vaccine production, IVI is working across the value chain to strengthen this ecosystem. IVI is looking to have more projects run out of Africa and therefore, needs to develop capabilities, strengthen human resources, and essentially collaborate to avoid redundancies. IVI sees APHRC as a key partner in advancing vaccine R&D capabilities, informing policy, and influencing governments across the continent.”
Dr. Joseph Gichuru, APHRC’s Deputy Executive Director, added: “This partnership aligns with our strategic vision. APHRC is well-positioned to operationalize and drive this initiative through our extensive training programs and strong collaborations with institutions across Africa.”
This MoU marks the beginning of a long-term partnership that will advance African-led, end-to-end vaccine research and development, empowering vaccine equity, impact, and sustainability globally, with the vision of a healthier world for all.
Also, present at the signing ceremony was, Dr. Douglas Shaffer, Prof. Faith Osier, Aerie Em, and Ondari Mogeni, all from IVI, and Dr. Andre Kengne, Dr. Engelbert Luchuo, Juliet Ratemo, Dr. David Ngilangwa, Kevin Kiiru, Judy Ihiga, Stephen Wainaina, and Lamech Mutava from APHRC.
