Rwanda and the European Union on Monday signed a €40 million funding package to invest in Rwanda’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, with an emphasis on research, development, and entrepreneurship.
President Paul Kagame alongside the President of the European Commission Ursula von der witnessed the signature of the financial agreement to strengthen the Rwandan ecosystem for manufacturing health products, boosting African healthcare from within.
This agreement further includes investments in nurturing local research and development, fostering biotech start-ups, and building up the surrounding talent pool.
Total Team Europe support for local manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Rwanda now totals €93.7 million.
Only one in 100 vaccine doses administered in Africa is currently produced on the continent — a figure that African leaders hope could be 60 times higher by 2040.
Speaking at the launch of the BioNTech facility, President Ursula von der Leyen said that local manufacturing of vaccines with mRNA technology, in Africa, for the African people, will be a game changer in the fight against diseases and pandemics.
“The EU is proud to work with Rwanda and BioNTech to develop a vibrant biopharmaceutical industry on the continent. Global Gateway, Europe’s investment strategy, invests in vaccine production in Africa and in the right skills, jobs and capacities to spur health innovation at the scale of the continent.” She noted
The EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Paul Kagame witnessed the signature of a €40 million financial agreement on boosting African healthcare from within.
She explained that the EU is proud to work with Rwanda and BioNTech to develop a vibrant biopharmaceutical industry on the continent. Global Gateway, Europe’s investment strategy, invests in vaccine production in Africa and in the right skills, jobs and capacities to spur health innovation at the scale of the continent.
“We have just signed a €40 million Team Europe funding package to invest in Rwanda’s pharmaceutical and biotechnological sectors with a very special focus on research, development and entrepreneurship,” she added.
In Rwanda, the EU investments are complemented at regional and continental level. Figures indicate that this new contribution now totals to €93.7 million to local manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Rwanda.