German biotechnology company, BioNTech, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), this week, announced a new partnership to expand the scope of BioNTech’s vaccine manufacturing facility in Rwanda.
The partnership will see CEPI provide additional funding of $145 million (approximately Rwf188 billion) to support BioNTech to establish mRNA vaccine research and development (R&D), clinical, and commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities at the company’s facility in Kigali.
The partnership is a real shot in the arm for Rwanda’s and Africa’s vaccine ecosystem. First, because Rwanda still imports most of its vaccines and barely produces any vaccine, not to mention other pharmaceutical products.
More broadly, Africa still has to import more than 99 per cent of the vaccines it needs to protect its people from potentially deadly diseases, meaning many are left waiting far too long to get the life-saving doses they need.
This must change. It must change because continuing to import vaccines and other pharmaceuticals means the continent spends billions of funds that otherwise would have been directed to other development needs if the continent was producing these products.
It is equally urgent because it currently takes decades before Africa gets access to novel medicines for diseases such as cancer that are being developed elsewhere. This makes Africa a market for counterfeit and substandard medical products.
For that to change, partnerships like that of BioNTech and CEPI have potential to accelerate efforts aimed at ridding Africa of continued vaccine imports and imported pharmaceuticals.
These partnerships, together with public investments in healthcare, enable to build capabilities that contribute to efforts to better prepare for potential future epidemic and pandemic threats in Africa.
They also encourage the private sector to invest in other elements that complement vaccine manufacturingthat otherwise a single public-private partnership wouldn’t have achieved alone.
The continent through its Africa CDC has a goal of producing 60 per cent of total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040. This goal doesn’t suddenly happen overnight.
Countries have to deliberately invest significant resources in providing needed skills, enhance research and development, as well as dedicate good investment in manufacturing facilities.