Rwanda launches Africa’s first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility
Rwanda is set to launch Africa’s first manufacturing facility for mRNA-based vaccines, BioNTech Africa on December 18.
The vaccines are being produced with the support of German biotech company BionNTech.
Senegalese President, Macky Sall arrived in Kigali, Rwanda on December 17 at the invitation of Rwandan president, Paul Kagame to take part in the launch of the BioNtech Africa factory, local media The New Times reported.
Following a signed memorandum of understanding between the two parties in 2021, Rwandan President, Paul Kagame and BioNTech’s CEO Ugur Sahin launched the construction of the mRNA vaccine factory in Kigali on June 23, 2022.
“We are happy to have BioNTech as a partner, and I applaud the company’s commitment to working with Africa on a continental basis to help secure our vaccine resilience for the future,” President Paul Kagame said on the day of the launch, quoted by BioNTech.
BioNTech is a renowned German biotechnology company that develops and manufactures active immunotherapies for patient-specific approaches to treating diseases.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines protect people from diseases. They work by triggering the immune system to create antibodies (proteins) in the body to fight bacteria and viruses that cause diseases.
According to a press release by BioNTech dated June 23, 2022, the company expects to set up additional factories in Senegal and South Africa while the facility in Rwanda will become a node in a decentralised and robust African end-to-end manufacturing network. All vaccines to be manufactured in the network will be dedicated to people residing in member states of the African Union, BioNTech indicated.
The Rwandan facility with a size of about 30,000 square metres is equipped with two BioNTainers, one for producing mRNA and the other for producing the formulated bulk drug products. These BioNTainers are equipped to manufacture a range of mRNA vaccines targeted to the needs of the African Union member states.
The facility will start manufacturing at an annual capacity of 50 million doses. However, production will increase depending on the demand.
After years of dedicated efforts by the Rwandan government and BioNTech, the factory is ready.
