Rwanda Hopeful To Start Producing Covid-19 Vaccines

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in African News May 8, 2021

Rwanda is in negotiation talks with Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to devise means on how it can be produced locally according to officials.

It is very evident that there are many regions where the vaccine is currently absent which is hindering the target for the vaccination race. This is why the World Health Organization seeks to establish permanent production capacities in regions like these.

Under the initiative targeting low and middle-income countries, WHO plans to expand capacity to produce Covid-19 vaccines. This will scale up the production in these areas hence increasing global access using mRNA-vaccine technology.

Earlier this week, President Paul Kagame said the only way to ensure vaccine equity is to produce more vaccines where they need them.

‘’Rwanda is working with partners to bring the first mRNA manufacturing facility to Africa. So long as Africa remains dependent on other regions for vaccines, we will always be at the back of the queue, whenever there is scarcity,’’ President Kagame said.

Rwanda’s Minister of State in charge of Primary Healthcare, Dr. Thacisse Mpunga said the government is looking for a way to produce the vaccine in Rwanda. He further said it is one way to acquire the vaccine for Rwanda, as well as Africa at large.

Elsewhere, according to WHO, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal currently have the capacity to produce Covid-19 vaccines. However, restrictions on intellectual property (IP) rights for Covid-19 vaccines has made it impossible.

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