Zambia's IDC and China's Jijia sign cholera vaccine plant deal in Lusaka, first phase US$24.13m

Zambia's Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and China's Jijia International Medical Technology Company Ltd signed a joint venture agreement in Lusaka on 2 November 2026 to develop ZAMVAX Limited, a cholera vaccine manufacturing company, IDC said. The first phase is estimated at US$24.13 million and is planned to produce up to 20 million doses a year.

IDC holds 60% of ZAMVAX and Jijia 40%. The plant will stand in the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone. IDC Chief Executive Officer Cornwell Muleya and Jijia General Manager Su Yong Lin signed at IDC's offices in Lusaka.

IDC, an investment arm of the Zambian government, is the venture's majority shareholder. The agreement sets out shareholder responsibilities, governance, funding obligations and project implementation. IDC's statement gives no completion date for any phase.

Phase one is an oral cholera vaccine fill-and-finish facility. It will fill, finish and package the vaccine and run quality control locally, using imported bulk antigen. A later phase is meant to bring in local antigen production and end-to-end cholera vaccine manufacturing. The venture may also expand into paediatric and animal vaccines, subject to product-specific feasibility assessments, financing and the necessary approvals.

"Our ambition is to make Zambia fully self-sufficient in meeting its cholera vaccine needs," Muleya said in the IDC statement. Su said the partnership was more than an investment: "It is about supporting Zambia's healthcare sector, creating opportunities, and improving health security across Africa." IDC says the plant supports the Grow Zambia Agenda by promoting local production, specialised skills and greater domestic value addition.

The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding the two companies signed in October 2024. IDC's release of 8 October 2024 put the cost of phase one at US$37 million and planned output at 3 million doses of cholera vaccine, with the plant in the same economic zone.

Xinhua reported at the time that the 2024 memorandum was signed at State House in Lusaka and witnessed by President Hakainde Hichilema, who said: "This partnership will save lives, boost productivity, and serve humanity." Jijia's then deputy general manager said the company would introduce China's sole cholera vaccine, an oral capsule developed from research by the Chinese Academy of Military Medical Sciences.

The Zambian news site Zambia Monitor reported that groundbreaking is scheduled for "the coming weeks", and that the partners will focus on financing, site readiness, technical agreements, workforce development and regulatory approvals. Ecofin Agency reported on 3 November 2026 that Muleya put the total project investment at about US$213 million.

Zambia is in the middle of a cholera outbreak. Xinhua reported on 17 October 2026 that the government began oral cholera vaccination in Lusaka on 16 October. The outbreak had by then caused 25 deaths and 966 confirmed cases across 12 districts in five of the country's 10 provinces. Health Minister Roma Chilengi said supply was tight, so vaccination was targeted at the highest-risk groups.

At least 500,000 doses were to go first to Lusaka and to Chibombo in Central Province, followed by 480,000 doses for other affected districts.