What BioNTech’s partnership with Africa demonstrates is that vaccine technology can be democratized, President Paul Kagame said on Monday, December 18, during the official launch of BioNTech’s first mRNA vaccine manufacturing plant on the African continent.
First Biotech Vaccine Manufacturing Plant in Africa launched in Rwanda.
Kagame alongside First Lady Jeannette Kagame joined several Heads of State and Government, among other high-ranked officials at Kigali Special Economic Zone, in Gasabo District, where the 300,000 square meter facility is based.
BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, on Monday, December 18, launched a new modular vaccine plant in Rwanda for the manufacturing of mRNA vaccines.
The development is a major boost for Rwanda and Africa in the fight against Covid-19 and future pandemics, and reflects a growing recognition of the need for vaccine equity.
First Biotech Vaccine Manufacturing Plant in Africa launched in Rwanda.
The modular factory set up in partnership with the Rwandan government is the first of its kind on the continent. Before the launch, The New Times had a tour of the plant which is located at Kigali Special Economic Zone, in Masoro, Kicukiro District.
The facility consists of a main building, which includes a hall dedicated to BioNTainers (facilities designed for manufacturing various mRNA-based vaccines), serving as the focal point of the structure. It also houses a warehouse, a wastewater treatment room, a water treatment room, IT rooms, quality control labs, and offices.
First Biotech Vaccine Manufacturing Plant in Africa launched in Rwanda.
Supporting structures include a canteen building for staff welfare, a technical building for electricity, a security guard house, a small powerhouse for Rwanda Energy Group (REG) to supply electricity, and a hydraulic building resembling an underwater structure, containing a water tank to meet the facility’s water needs.
According to Ange Iradukunda, the Project Manager for construction at BioNTech Rwanda, approximately 250,000 cubic yards of soil were removed to level the ground.
“We are still under construction and planning to finish the setup and the technical installation of the BioNTainers by the end of 2024,” stated Iradukunda, who joined BioNTech in October 2022.
Gisele Uwase, the Human Resources Manager at BioNTech Rwanda, joined the company in September 2022, serving as one of the pioneers in Rwanda. Her responsibilities include recruiting future pioneers, as well as training and enhancing capabilities within the team.
