Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. AN arm of the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) is courting international investors to raise US$45 million for the establishment of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine manufacturing plant, NewsDay Business can report.
SIRDC, established in 1993 through the Research Act [Chapter 10:22], is mandated to conduct strategic research and commercialise innovations for the manufacturing, service and agricultural sectors.
Zimbabwe currently relies on the Botswana Vaccine Institute as its sole supplier of livestock vaccines. The firm signalled a shift towards deeper technical collaboration with Zimbabwe’s dairy sector.
The Zimbabwe Technological Solutions (ZTS), SIRDC’s commercial arm, says the proposed plant is key to reducing the country’s annual livestock vaccine import bill.
Speaking on the sidelines of last week’s Africa Investment Forum hosted by the African Development Bank in Morocco, ZTS general manager Selwyn Dhliwayo said the project required US$45 million, of which up to US$39 million would go towards the plant’s capital expenditure
“This is a biosafety level 3 facility. Every year, the government spends over US$5 million importing this vaccine from the Botswana Vaccine Institute.”
Dhliwayo said while ZTS attended the forum to market several projects, the FMD vaccine plant remained the priority.
“We are seeking partnerships to enable local production of essential veterinary medicines for the growth of the livestock sector and to revive the once vibrant beef export industry,” he said.
Once financial closure is secured, construction of the state-of-the-art facility will begin. The plant is expected to produce up to 8 million doses annually.
Government statistics show the national livestock population rose to 5.74 million in 2024, from 5,2 million in 2017, due to improved dip-tank rehabilitation. Over 75% of the country’s 4 112 dip tanks are now functional, up from below 50% in 2018.
Dhliwayo said that vaccine imports did not guarantee security for Zimbabwe’s livestock sector, especially in red zones where livestock interfaces with wildlife.
“…you need to make sure that you vaccinate the cattle… It will actually then safeguard the industry, the beef industry as a whole,” he said.
He added that the main challenge remained mobilising capital and strengthening project documentation to meet investor requirements.
“We need to work on things like off-takers and guarantees to convince private capital to invest in the project through private-public partnerships,” he said.
Zimbabwe first announced intentions to set up an FMD vaccine manufacturing laboratory in 2022.
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