Decolonising vaccine production: Unpacking Ghanaians' support for made-in-Africa vaccines
Abstract
Localisation of vaccine production is essential worldwide, but it is particularly crucial for Africa. This continent is more vulnerable to disease burdens and also lags behind other continents regarding access to vaccines. Moreover, many people in Africa have a long-standing apathy towards locally made products and services. This mindset raises the question of whether Africans will support African-made vaccines and what the associated reasons are. Guided by the theories of nationalism and import substitution industrialisation, we formulated and tested eight hypotheses. To answer these, we analysed survey data from 6,731 residents backed by key informant interviews in Ghana. Our findings identified three types of local vaccine consumers: Afrocentric-ethnocentrics, Apathetic-Afrocentrics and Afrocentric-Fence Sitters. Four out of the eight hypothesised factors explain why some individuals have a positive attitude towards locally made vaccines, compared to those who are unsure of their stance. The proposed typology of local vaccine consumers and their defining characteristics can help design public health campaigns to mobilize support for locally produced vaccines.
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