Rwanda looks to work with Caribbean countries for vaccine production

Rwanda is to join Caribbean states Guyana and Barbados to manufacture vaccines and medicines and is exploring a procurement mechanism for the project, according to the country’s President.

Kagame made the announcement while he was in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, to meet heads of government from states belonging to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc.

Kagame said: “As a start, Guyana, Barbados and Rwanda have embarked on a programme of mutual support for the local manufacturing of vaccines and medicines. The next step is to commit to a pooled procurement mechanism that will make these facilities sustainable over the long run."

And last week, Senegal’s Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) and the Mastercard Foundation announced the launch of a $45m vaccine manufacturing initiative for Africa.

The Madiba (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunisation and Building Autonomy) programme will initially set up a centre to train local scientists and technicians in vaccine research, manufacturing, production and distribution.

The initiative is part of the Emerging Senegal Plan, which aims to manufacture half of the country’s pharmaceutical products by 2035.

Rwanda has been looking to increase its vaccine self-sufficiency since the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the continent’s reliance on Western vaccine producers and forced it to compete for scarce vaccine supplies on the international market.

In March, Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, became the first African location to receive vaccine production units dubbed BioNTainers made from recycled shipping containers produced by German pharma giant BioNTech.

Six of the units – capable of producing up to 100m mRNA vaccines per year – arrived in the city, though it is estimated to be 12 months before the units can enter full production.

BioNTech chief operating officer, Sierk Poetting, said the technology was scalable and flexible and could be moved anywhere.

Poetting said: "We are also thinking of cancer therapies we are developing that could be produced in these BioNTainers."

BioNTech said the facilities would initially employ nine local scientists, rising to 100 by next year. It plans to export vaccines produced in the plant around Africa.

The company is also planning to deliver the containers to South Africa and Senegal.

PM