BioNTech, the German company behind the most widely used COVID-19 vaccine in the Western world, has inaugurated its first mRNA vaccine manufacturing site in Africa, located in Rwanda’s capital Kigali.
The factory, which was fully funded by BioNTech with a total of $150 million, aims to start production in 2025 and will be able to produce any kind of mRNA vaccines, depending on product development progress and public health priorities.
mRNA vaccines are considered a potential game-changer for a range of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, malaria, and Lassa fever, which disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries. This new technology can significantly lower the costs of mRNA research and manufacturing and enable expanded access, helping to close critical gaps in vaccine equity.
The factory is based on modular elements made from shipping containers, called BioNTainers, which were delivered to the Kigali construction site in March and then assembled. BioNTech said the BioNTainers are a state-of-the-art solution for manufacturing mRNA medicines and represent a significant step toward establishing a strong vaccine ecosystem in Africa and preparing for future pandemics.
“Africa will have one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world,” said Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder and chief executive officer. “These BioNTainers will be able to manufacture any kind of mRNA vaccines.”
The initiative is part of BioNTech’s broader plan to expand mRNA manufacturing globally, in collaboration with African leaders, the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, European authorities and governments, and other partners.
BioNTech has said that the initial vaccine factory in Rwanda could over the next few years become part of a wider supply network spanning several African nations, including Senegal and South Africa.
The move to start production in Africa comes after a much-criticized delay in shipping Western-made coronavirus vaccine doses to the continent, which has left many African countries lagging in their vaccination campaigns.
“The African Union came together to make a firm commitment that we would not allow ourselves to be in that position again,” Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said at the ceremony to inaugurate the factory site.
He added that the partnership with BioNTech was an encouraging step that will increase access to critical health technologies and help African countries develop vaccines that meet the needs of their people.
BioNTech is not the only company pursuing mRNA vaccine production in Africa. Its rival Moderna announced in March this year that it plans to establish an mRNA manufacturing facility in Kenya, which would be its first such facility in Africa.
Experts have welcomed these initiatives as a way to boost local capacity and innovation, as well as to reduce dependence on imports and donations.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said that the establishment of the BioNTech factory in Rwanda was a “historic moment” that will “transform the health landscape in Africa and beyond.”
Source: Reuters
