BioNTech’s first messenger RNA vaccine production center in Africa, the “BioNtainer” – so named because it is made of recycled containers – was inaugurated in Kigali. A breakthrough in vaccine research and production on the continent. Ultimately, 50 million doses of Messenger RNA vaccines against Covid could be produced in this center each year.
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Many personalities made the trip for the occasion: Macky Sall, Nana Akufo-Addo, Moussa Faki, Adesina and Ursula Von der Leyen.
Producing vaccines for Africa at an affordable price is one of the main objectives of this project. “ The quality is exactly the same as you would find anywhere else. Inequalities in access to vaccines have hit Africa hard during the pandemic. We found ourselves knocking on every door looking for doses. The situation was intolerable. And the African Union has come together to make a firm commitment that we will never find ourselves in this position again “, declared Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
And for this, it is a question of building an entire ecosystem, explains Ugur Sahin, general director of the German biotechnology company, BioNTech: “ Our goal is to ensure that these facilities operate in accordance with global standards. The other objective concerns the development of new drugs specifically adapted to regional needs. BioNTech is actively engaged in the research and development of new vaccines and treatments against complex pathogens such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and monkeypox. »
But there is still a long way to go, warns the director of BioNTech. It hopes to be able to launch the process of validating the first test vaccines in 2025. BioNTech is also developing this type of infrastructure in Senegal, Ghana, and South Africa.
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