KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta was at State House in Nairobi today when Kenya and Moderna signed a memorandum of understanding to build the first mRNA manufacturing plant in Africa.
As many as 500 million doses of vaccines are expected to be made each year by a state-of-the-art facility in Africa.
The company plans to spend up to $500 million on a new plant that will make drugs for the African continent. The plant will be based in the African continent.
President Kenyatta has been a front-runner in championing the African continent’s need to manufacture its own COVID-19 vaccines in order to meet the demand of its population. His Excellency has always said that Africa’s ability to make vaccines would help stop new pandemics from spreading.
The President stated that the establishment of the mRNA manufacturing facility would be a game changer, particularly for Kenya, which has a vision of producing vaccines.
“We are celebrating one of the best things that could have happened since COVID-19 started in Africa,” said Kenyatta when he spoke.
The President reiterated the challenges faced by the African continent during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was not because of a lack of funds to buy the vaccines, but because the vaccines were not available for purchase.
An African country will be able to fight any future pandemic thanks to this new facility. His Excellency thanked Moderna, a company that came up with a plan to fill the gap.
“We all know the challenges that Kenya and the entire continent of Africa went through in the early stages of this pandemic that resulted in Africa being left behind. Moderna has come to fill that void, not because of a desire, but of a scarcity.
“We are truly grateful for this and I think it will be transformative not just in helping us with the current pandemic but also preparing the continent of Africa for future pandemics,” President Kenyatta said.
The President thanked the director of the African Center for Disease Control, Dr. John Nkengasong, and the United States government for their help in setting up the facility in Kenya.
“Thank you for the support we have received from you (Dr. John Nkengasong) and your entire team from Africa CDC. I’d also like to thank the American government, which has been very supportive of Kenya and Africa, not only for making this day possible, but also for providing us with vaccines at a time when we needed them,” he added.
Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer, Stephane Bancel, said his company is committed to partnering to provide a health solution, adding that the investment the company is making in Kenya is crucial as it is part of the solution to ensure global health equity.
Battling the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years has provided a reminder of the work that must be done to ensure global health equity. ” “Modera is committed to being a part of the solution, and today, we announce another step in this journey – an investment in the Republic of Kenya to build a drug substance mRNA manufacturing facility capable of supplying up to 500 million doses for the African continent each year,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.
He said that the mRNA global public health vaccine program, which includes vaccines against HIV and Nipah, will make sure that Africans have access to mRNA innovation for a long time.
Director of the Africa Centre for Disease Control, Dr. John Nkengasong, said the setting up of the facility is critical to Africa’s security, noting that the production of the vaccines will ensure the continent is able to tackle current and future health challenges.
A health cabinet secretary named Mutahi Kagwe signed the MOU for the Kenyan government. Shannon Klinger, who is Moderna’s head of law, signed it for the company, too.
Also in attendance were Dr. Joseph Kinyua, the head of the public service, Susan Mochache, the head of the health department, and Dr. Patrick Amoth, the head of the department of health.