The German pharmaceutical firm BioNTech announced the start of the construction of an mRNA vaccine factory in Kigali to enable African nations to jump-start their own manufacturing network.

The groundbreaking for construction of the mRNA vaccine factory is expected to take place in Kigali on June 23, according to a statement from the manufacturer.

Initial estimates show that two modules will sit on about 800 square metres of space and offer an estimated initial capacity of up to 50 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine annually.

The event is scheduled to be attended by President Paul Kagame and other heads of state and WHO officials among others, according to the statement

BioNTech will initially staff and operate the facilities to support the safe and rapid initiation of the production of mRNA-based vaccine doses under stringent good manufacturing processes to prepare for the transfer of know-how to local partners to enable independent operation.

Vaccines manufactured in these facilities are expected to be dedicated to domestic use and export to other member states of the African Union at a not-for-profit price.

The facility will be set up in the Special Economic Zone in Gasabo District, according to the Minister of Health Dr. Daniel Ngamije.

Ngamije said that capacity will be increased sequentially by adding further manufacturing lines and sites to the manufacturing network on the continent, supporting the production of several hundreds of millions of mRNA vaccine doses.