APA – Kigali (Rwanda) – Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Monday held talks with his Ghanaian counterpart Nana Akufo-Addo who is currently in Rwanda for the inauguration of the first ever mRNA vaccine production site developed by BioNTech in Rwanda
The statement issued by the President’s office in Kigali said that the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties between Rwanda and Ghana in various areas including vaccine manufacturing.
Ghana, Rwanda and Senegal are partnering with German biotechnology company, BioNTech SE, to fill, finish, and package BioNTech mRNA vaccines in Africa, as a first step in the chain of domestic vaccine production which will help improve vaccine supply in Africa.
BioNtech of Germany, a health and technology company which now works with Pfizer, has agreed to partner and will contribute to the construction if a modern production facility for other vaccines such as those for malaria and tuberculosis in three African countries.
The company, which developed the most widely used COVID-19 vaccine in the Western world with its U.S. partner Pfizer, developed a plan in 2022 to allow African countries to produce its Comirnat-branded vaccine under the supervision of BioNTech.
BioNTech said the initial vaccine factory could, over the next few years, be part of a wider supply network spanning several African countries, including Senegal and South Africa.
The launch of production in Africa is also part of BioNTech’s efforts to expand mRNA manufacturing globally. So far, the company has relied on its German sites for mRNA production, as well as sites run by its partner Pfizer in the U.S. and Belgium, it said.
CU/abj/APA