Rwanda breaks ground on first mRNA vaccine plant in Africa
-
Loading... - Hiari Simon
- 08 Aug 2022
- 78 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Rwanda plans to produce Covid-19 vaccines next year after Germany-based pharmaceutical BioNTech launched the construction of the facility to house its two modular container prototypes in the country on Thursday.
The BioNTainers are expected to produce 50 million doses per year using the mRNA technology used for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The containers will be delivered to Rwanda by the end of the year, with manufacturing expected to commence 12 to 18 months after installation.
During the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday at the Kigali Special Economic Zone, Rwanda President Paul Kagame said the plant would be a significant milestone in addressing vaccine inequality.
“Rwanda intends to build on this investment by putting in place conditions to attract other manufacturers and innovators. Rwanda fully supports BioNTech’s commitment to power this factory with green energy, and we will work together to achieve that,” President Kagame said.
Figures by the World Health Organisation (WHO) released in June show that only two African countries (Mauritius and Seychelles) have fully vaccinated 70 percent of their total population. Rwanda expects to achieve this target by the end of the month.
Shipping containers
BioNTech says one of the containers will produce the mRNA vaccines while the other will make formulated bulk drug products. There are plans to use the same facility to manufacture malaria and tuberculosis vaccines.
The modular systems consist of 12 shipping containers housing the same manufacturing process and equipment used in its factory. Read More…
