Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the Kingdom of Morocco in developing a vaccine manufacturing facility.

Through the (£100 million ODA-funded) continental Manufacturing Africa programme, the FCDO provided technical support to develop business cases for Morocco's vaccine production initiative that not only serves Morocco (reportedly 3 million doses thus far) but plans to become a manufacturing hub for Africa. The initiative was publicly launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the Summer of 2021. Further support is channelled through the FCDO's contribution to Africa CDC's new "Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing" initiative. We are exploring work to strengthen Morocco's National Regulatory Authorities, including by mobilising the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for peer learning. The Government has brokered conversations with UK and international pharmaceutical companies, which Moroccan counterparts are following up with. Encouraged by support to date, Morocco has invited the UK to formally set up a bilateral vaccine manufacturing taskforce to explore development and commercial investment and partnership opportunities further.