Ghana selected for €11 million global dengue vaccine project to fight rising threat in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Ghana has joined a global €11 million dengue vaccine project aimed at fighting the rising spread of dengue fever in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• The initiative will test a new single-dose vaccine, DengiAll, with Ghana participating in advanced clinical trials to assess safety and effectiveness.

• Health experts say the project could significantly improve disease prevention in Africa, where dengue cases are increasing due to climate change and urbanisation.

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has joined a major international effort to develop and test a promising dengue vaccine, placing Ghana at the centre of global research to combat one of the world’s fastest-growing mosquito-borne diseases.

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Through its School of Public Health, KNUST will host key Phase III clinical trials of a new vaccine called DengiAll, a single-dose dengue vaccine designed to protect against all four strains of the dengue virus.

This is a significant milestone for Ghana’s growing reputation in global health research and vaccine development, especially as dengue fever increasingly becomes a public health concern across Africa.

The vaccine trial forms part of the DENSTAR Project, a four-year international initiative involving leading universities, research institutions and biotechnology companies from Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. 

According to reports by Citinews, The project officially began on June 1, 2026, with more than €11 million in funding from the European Union-backed Global Health European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

Dengue fever is caused by a virus spread mainly through infected Aedes mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization, dengue cases have risen sharply worldwide in recent years, driven by climate change, rapid urbanisation and increasing mosquito resistance to insecticides. While many cases cause fever, body pain and fatigue, severe infections can lead to internal bleeding, organ failure and death.

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Although dengue has historically been more common in Asia and Latin America, health experts say Africa is increasingly at risk. Ghana has recorded growing concerns over mosquito-borne diseases, making vaccine preparedness increasingly important.

One of the biggest advantages of the DengiAll vaccine is its simplicity. Unlike some existing dengue vaccines, it does not require prior blood testing before administration, making it easier to deploy in countries like Ghana where access to advanced diagnostic screening may be limited.

Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at KNUST’s School of Public Health and Scientific Project Lead for DENSTAR in Ghana, said the project comes at a critical time for Africa.

He added that KNUST’s role in the project reflects Ghana’s growing influence in international scientific research.

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KNUST’s participation adds to Ghana’s expanding profile in medical research, particularly in infectious disease surveillance, vaccine trials and public health innovation. Over the years, Ghanaian institutions have played important roles in research involving malaria, COVID-19 and other tropical diseases.

If successful, the DengiAll vaccine could become one of the first widely deployable dengue vaccines suitable for large-scale use across sub-Saharan Africa, offering countries like Ghana a powerful new tool to prevent outbreaks and protect vulnerable populations.