President Paul Kagame met with Dr. Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of global pharmaceutical company Pfizer, to discuss partnerships, with a focus on expanding equitable access to healthcare.

According to a statement from the Office of the President on September,12, their discussions centered on partnership on "An Accord for a Healthier World,” an initiative aimed at providing high-quality, safe, and effective healthcare solutions for all.

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Kagame and Pfizer CEO last met in August 2023 in New York, where they discussed partnerships on pharmaceutical patents.

Pfizer is one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, is known for its extensive portfolio of medicines, vaccines, and other healthcare products.

In 2022, the company launched an initiative to provide its medicines and vaccines to 45 lower-income countries on a not-for-profit basis, a move aimed at enhancing global health equity. Rwanda is among the beneficiaries of this initiative.

The program includes making all current and future patent-protected medicines and vaccines available in the United States or European Union accessible to these countries, also on a not-for-profit basis.

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Rwanda was one of the first five countries to join the initiative, along with Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda.

Health officials in these countries have played a critical role in identifying and resolving barriers to the effective distribution of these treatments, providing insights to support the program’s rollout across all 45 countries.

Kagame welcomed the initiative emphasizing that rapid and affordable access to advanced medicines and vaccines is vital for achieving global health equity.

He noted that Pfizer’s commitment set a strong example for other pharmaceutical companies to follow in promoting accessible healthcare.