The CSIR has partnered with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on a human capacity development initiative in South Africa that will focus on developing skills in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for biomanufacturing.

This partnership will provide training grants to 112 South African participants to attend courses through the existing African Biomanufacturing Workforce Development Programme at the CSIR and will further develop its contents. The programme will run over two years (2024 – 2025). These training courses are focused specifically on offering hands-on training and skills development in biomanufacturing.

The courses are part of the SAVax project that GIZ implements in South Africa on behalf of the German Government. With this, GIZ supports the South African Department of Science and Innovation to strengthen local vaccine manufacturing, thus improving access to vaccines for the African continent. To do so, GIZ supports skill development within the biomanufacturing ecosystem and plans to train at least 250 professionals by December 2025.

The partnership between CSIR and GIZ is aligned with various initiatives geared towards building local manufacturing of various products such as Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, biopharmaceuticals and vaccines on the African continent.

Furthermore, the GIZ support will also focus on up-skilling CSIR staff in acquiring international skills in GMP biomanufacturing.  This is aligned with CSIR’s strategic project of establishing a Future Pharma facility, which will be a fully equipped open innovation facility supporting skills development and technology localisation for GMP biomanufacturing.

Dr Santosh Ramchuran, Chief Researcher: Bioprocess Technology Development says, “This grant funding will be instrumental in developing our staff members which will enable further knowledge transfer within the CSIR and country.”

It is envisaged that the skills training in GMP biomanufacturing by international experts to CSIR staff will enable them to become the next generation of trainers who can transfer these skills to other participants.

“This Train-the-Trainer model will support skills development in biomanufacturing technologies with the goal of increasing the availability of affordable vaccines for Low Medium Income Countries (LMICs),” Dr Ramchuran elaborates.

Capabilities and skills development in biomanufacturing require urgent action to reduce dependence on imports of critical health products. The African Union Commission and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a framework that will enable Africa to manufacture 60% of its vaccine needs locally by 2040. The framework speaks to creating Regional Capability and Capacity Centres that will provide workforce development as a critical element towards fulfilling this ambitious goal.

Lara Kotzé-Jacobs, CSIR programme manager within Future Production Chemicals, believes that “these initiatives in the workforce and human capital development undertaken by the CSIR, in partnership with GIZ, will have a significant catalytic role in stimulating local and regional biomanufacturing and build skills for vaccine manufacturing in South Africa.”

-ENDS-

Issued by CSIR Strategic Communications

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Milisa Kenta: Group Manager: Strategic Communication
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About the CSIR:

The CSIR, an entity of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, is one of the leading scientific and technology research, development and implementation organisations in Africa. Constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1945 as a science council, the CSIR undertakes directed and multidisciplinary research and technological innovation, as well as industrial and scientific development to improve the quality of life of all South Africans. For more information, visit www.csir.co.za

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