Ghana, Rwanda and Senegal have jointly inaugurated the BioNTech Vaccine Manufacturing Site in Kigali on Monday, 18 December 2023.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who was at the inauguration ceremony said the project is a reaffirmation of our commitment to the rest of the world that the construction of an end-to-end vaccine manufacturing facility, involving Rwanda, Senegal and Ghana, is truly underway.

He recalled that when the nations met in Marburg in Germany in June 2022, there were some who secretly doubted Ghana, Rwanda and Senegal’s collective resolve to bring this all-important project, which will boost Africa’s capacity to be self-reliant in the production of vaccines, to fruition.

For Ghanaians, President Akufo-Addo noted that the Pan-African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative Project fits perfectly with our roadmap for domestic vaccine development and manufacturing. Adding that Ghana is playing her role to this end, “and we will work to make the Project a success.”

He further indicated that Ghana’s research institutions are undergoing capacity-building to be ready for the discovery and development of vaccines and other biologicals, and a consortium of Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies, led by DEKS Vaccines Ltd., is working closely with BioNTech Rwanda, BioNTech Germany and kENUP to fill, finish and package the drug product in Ghana from the plant in Rwanda.

In October this year, at the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels, Ghana received some €32 million from the European Union, to help realise the goal of being a hub for vaccine manufacturing.