This Friday, May 30, 2025, marks a significant milestone for the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) as we express our deep gratitude and bid farewell to Dr. Amadou Alpha Sall, who steps down as CEO after 32 years of remarkable dedication.
Dr. Sall first joined IPD in 1993 as a research intern, following an initial visit in 1988. With unwavering rigor and passion, he climbed every rung of the ladder: assistant, research officer, head of the virology department, scientific director, then General Administrator in 2016, and President of the Pasteur Network in 2021. His journey is a true testament to scientific excellence, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to public health in Africa.
Under his leadership, IPD underwent a profound transformation through several groundbreaking initiatives:
- Training: Creation of the Center for Africaโs Resilience to Epidemics (CARE), Institut Pasteur de Dakar, the AfriBio Academy, the West Africa Regional Competency and Capacity Network (WA-RCCN) in January 2025, and the Africa CDC Center of Excellence for Biosafety and Biosecurity launched in April 2025.
- ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง : Establishment of the Vaccine Research Center, Davax (a clinical bio-manufacturing plant for mRNA, subunit, and live attenuated vaccines), the Vaccinopole, and Diatropix, Senegalโs first diagnostic test production facility.
- ๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ : Creation of the IPD Biobank.
- ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง : Launch of SEDAR and VaxSen, platforms facilitating the entry of pharmaceutical companies into the African market through partnerships and joint ventures.
- ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ : Establishment of the VDN Sample Collection Center and the Touba Institut Pasteur.
These achievements have significantly strengthened the continentโs health sovereignty and positioned IPD as a key global player.
Dr. Sall has also powerfully represented African science on the international stage while championing inclusion, notably through the โ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌโ program.
His leadership was recently recognized with the Diamond Excellence Award at the 2025 National Quality Oscarsโan honor that reflects the collective excellence he has fostered.
Dr. Sall now embarks on a new challenge at the CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)) in London. We extend our heartfelt wishes for success in this next chapter in service of global health.
๐ Thank you, Dr. Sall, for your vision, humanity, and lasting impact. Your legacy will continue to inspire IPD and beyond.
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