This afternoon at the Kigali Special Economic Zone, President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame join BioNTech CEO, Dr. Uğur Şahin, President Macky Sall of the Republic of Senegal, President Nana Akufo-Addo of the Republic of Ghana, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados, H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, dignitaries, representatives from multilateral institutions, and key stakeholders in the vaccine and public health ecosystem in Africa for the inauguration of BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine manufacturing site.
Once completed, the Kigali manufacturing site will be the first end-to-end mRNA manufacturing facility in Africa and already features a completed manufacturing unit known as the BioNTainer, which is designed to manufacture a range of mRNA-based vaccines.
The containers for the first BioNTainer arrived in Kigali in March 2023, with the second shipment slated for delivery in 2024, when final construction on the manufacturing site is expected to be completed. BioNTech plans to establish other manufacturing sites across the continent, including in Ghana and Senegal.
Prior to the inauguration, President Kagame hosted a lunch for participating dignitaries, providing an opportunity for additional discussions on strengthening Africa’s vaccine manufacturing network.
This evening at Urugwiro Village, President Kagame will receive H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and her delegation for bilateral discussions on strengthening existing partnerships between Rwanda and the European Union.
President Kagame and President von der Leyen will also witness the signing of two agreements in areas of health, trade and investment, before they address members of the press. (End)