Venus

It was a truly proud moment as the Bloom Public Health team co-delivered the Advanced GMP & EMP Training, hosted by Africa CDC in Dakar, Senegal. This is a critical step in strengthening Africa’s path to vaccine self-reliance over the next two decades.

Through the African Vaccine Academy (AVA), Olutoun Sanusi-Oladunni (B. Pharm, MBA), supported by Oluwasegun Idowu, continues to work tirelessly. They are focused on building the continent’s specialized vaccine workforce, ensuring young professionals and institutions are equipped with the high-level skills necessary for sustainable local production.

Our technical trainers brought powerful, hands-on expertise to the sessions:
✔️ Vetja Haakuria, PhD (Vaccine & Biologics Expert): Provided deep, operational insights into upstream/downstream processing, contamination control, and the core engineering principles of modern vaccine production.

✔️ Colin Shamhuyarira (Pr.Sci.Nat), Global PhD Candidate (Quality Assurance & Medical Product Regulation Expert): Helped participants master the regulatory and compliance frameworks necessary to ensure quality systems and produce safe, globally acceptable vaccines.

The combined efforts of our team in Senegal directly fuel our central mission: to strengthen regulatory systems, expand manufacturing capacity, and cultivate the skilled workforce needed to achieve health security.

We are pushing the continent closer to a future where Africa can reliably, safely, and sustainably produce its own life-saving vaccines.

Their dedication is the fuel for this transformation!

The intensity continues in Dakar!

Day 2 of the Advanced GMP & EMP Training delivered an exceptionally practical and high-fidelity deep dive into real-world vaccine manufacturing processes. Led by expert teams from Institut Pasteur de Dakar ( ) and NIBRT National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, participants were guided through the full vaccine production journey with hands-on exposure that is essential for strengthening regulatory oversight across Africa.

The day unpacked the entire end-to-end manufacturing flow, from Upstream operations such as cell culture and antigen production, through Downstream purification and filtration, and finally Formulation and Fill–Finish. Participants also gained mastery in GMP facility operations, including cleanroom classifications, contamination control, air handling systems, biosafety, environmental monitoring, and waste-handling protocols which are the backbone of any high-quality pharmaceutical production environment.

But this training did not stop at theory. Participants were immersed in real-life facility practice including:
✔️ Mastering the “perfect handwash”
✔️ Testing glove integrity
✔️ Tracing contamination spread person-to-person
✔️ Performing air sampling, surface testing, and particle counting
✔️ Understanding why even a “quick rinse” is unacceptable in GMP environments

Guided by IPD’s expert instructors, trainees handled actual equipment, performed critical cleanroom procedures, and experienced firsthand why GMP is not just a guideline — it is gospel in vaccine manufacturing.

At Bloom Public Health, the African Vaccine Academy (AVA) is our vehicle for strengthening local vaccine production, regulatory systems, and health security across Africa.

This training aligns perfectly with our mission because it builds technical competence, deepens GMP understanding, and provides the hands-on experience regulators and manufacturers need to support Africa CDC’s vision for vaccine self-reliance.

Through the AVA, we secure strategic global partnerships, strengthen regulatory capacity, and advance Africa’s pathway to vaccine independence.

We had the privilege of participating in the VALIDATION WORKSHOP FOR THE COMESA TEN-YEAR GREEN PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING STRATEGY in Nairobi, Kenya, an engaging and deeply insightful gathering of regional experts, policymakers, and industry leaders.

Our CEO, Prof. Chimezie Anyakora, during his contribution shared key observations that sparked meaningful reflection and dialogue among participants. The discussions throughout the workshop offered fresh perspectives on the region’s progress, highlighted existing gaps, and underscored the opportunities ahead for strengthening pharmaceutical manufacturing within the COMESA region.

The workshop provided a valuable platform for alignment, knowledge-sharing, and collective thinking, as the workshop reinforcing the importance of coordinated efforts in building a resilient and sustainable pharmaceutical landscape across the region.

Bloom Public Health is honored to have contributed to this important process, and we look forward to continued collaboration as COMESA advances the development and implementation of its Ten-Year Green Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Strategy.