Botswana Vaccine Institute’s (BVI) struggle to meet growing regional demand for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines is beginning to exact a commercial cost, with South Africa increasingly turning to alternative suppliers after years of relying on the state-owned producer.
The shift shines a spotlight on longstanding capacity constraints at BVI, which has battled production disruptions, aging infrastructure and maintenance challenges at a time when demand for livestock vaccines across Southern Africa continues to rise.
South Africa’s Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen recently cited production delays and export interruptions at BVI as reasons for sourcing vaccines from Argentina’s Biogénesis Bagó and Turkey’s Dollvet. The decision followed recurring supply shortages during a period when South Africa was battling FMD outbreaks.
For Botswana, the development raises concerns about BVI’s ability to defend its dominant position in the regional vaccine market. South Africa is BVI’s largest customer, purchasing 1.6 million doses during the 2025/26 financial year.
The problem appears to be one of scale. While demand from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries is estimated at about 43 million doses annually, BVI’s maximum production capacity stands at roughly 25 million doses.
Operational challenges have compounded the problem. The institute has repeatedly had to suspend production for sterilisation and maintenance, while aging equipment has become increasingly expensive to maintain. Some spare parts are no longer readily available, limiting operational efficiency and affecting output.
The numbers tell the story. In the 2023/24 financial year, BVI produced 14.26 million monodoses of blended FMD vaccines, missing its target of 20.9 million doses by nearly a third.
The institute is betting on a P300 million expansion project, due for completion in 2027, to reverse the trend. Until then, however, BVI faces the risk of losing market share as regional buyers prioritise reliable supply over historical relationships, potentially weakening one of Botswana’s most successful export-oriented state enterprises.