Indonesia-Ghana Partner on Vaccine Technology Transfer

RRI.CO.ID, Bandung – State-owned pharmaceutical enterprise Bio Farma is strengthening its strategic partnership with Ghana-based sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing company, Atlantic Lifesciences (ALS). Bio Farma is implementing a tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine technology transfer program to support the development of local vaccine manufacturing capacity in Ghana.

This collaboration serves as a form of Indonesia's contribution to strengthening the capability of developing countries to build more independent and sustainable vaccine production capacity, particularly in the West African region. The cooperation between Bio Farma and ALS has entered its technical implementation phase following a series of strategic stages since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December 2023, followed by the signing of the Td Vaccine Technology Transfer Master Agreement in September 2024, and implementation agreements comprising a Tech Transfer Agreement and Sales Agreement in August 2025.

Through this program, Bio Farma acts not only as a vaccine supplier but also as a technology partner and local manufacturing capacity developer. Bio Farma supports the provision of technology, technical assistance, and the supply of Td Final Bulk Ready to Fill (RTF), while ALS will develop local capabilities for the fill-finish process, quality control, packaging, registration, and commercial manufacturing in Ghana.

Bio Farma President Director Shadiq Akasya stated that strengthening health resilience requires cross-border collaboration that does not stop at product supply. He emphasized the importance of building production capabilities, human resources, and a sustainable health industry ecosystem.

"The partnership between Bio Farma and Atlantic Lifesciences is a tangible form of Indonesia's contribution to building global health resilience. Through technology transfer, we want to grow together with partners by building manufacturing capabilities and human resources, so that partner countries increasingly possess the capacity to meet the health needs of their people," Shadiq said, as quoted from a press release on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

According to Shadiq, the project is currently heading toward a crucial stage, namely Process Performance Qualification (PPQ) or process validation, which is scheduled to take place from October 2026 to January 2027. This stage will subsequently be followed by the registration and inspection process by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (Ghana FDA) from January to May 2027.

If the series of validations are successfully completed, stability data meet requirements, regulatory approvals are obtained, and procurement readiness is achieved, commercial supply of the Td vaccine through local facilities in Ghana is targeted to begin in 2027. In the long term, this collaboration also opens up opportunities for Ghana to develop into a prominent vaccine manufacturing and supply platform for the West African region.