Health minister Dr Sabin Nsanzimana on Tuesday, April 1, officiated the launch of TKMD Rwanda’s auto-disable syringe manufacturing facility in Rwamagana District. According to the Ministry of Health, established in partnership with Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization pre-qualified facility produces up to one million syringes daily. TKMD Rwanda, a subsidiary of Chinese company Anhui Tiankang Medical Technology, “works with UNICEF to distribute to several African countries which saves on cost and time,” according to the ministry. The factory is set to play a pivotal role in creating local jobs and fostering sustainable operations in the community, the company said last year. “The facility employs over 100 people, 80% of whom are women, enhancing healthcare quality and access,” the ministry noted in a post on X. Today, Minister @nsanzimanasabin officiated the launch of TKMD Rwanda’s auto-disable syringe manufacturing facility in @RwamaganaDistr. Established in partnership with @gatesfoundation, the @WHO pre-qualified facility produces up to 1M syringes daily. TKMD works with @UNICEF to... pic.twitter.com/7yYvhTULxf — Ministry of Health | Rwanda (@RwandaHealth) April 1, 2025 Last year, the Chinese company's plant in Rwanda obtained pre-qualification from the World Health Organization for its auto-disable syringes. This marked the first WHO-prequalified syringe product in Rwanda, underscoring Africa's growing capacity for producing essential vaccine syringes locally, said TKMD Rwanda. The syringes, designed to be automatically disabled after a single use, will be supplied to UNICEF for vaccination initiatives across Africa. The AD syringes are endorsed by the WHO for vaccination and mandated in programmes launched by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. According to reports, sub-Saharan Africa requires up to 500 million AD syringes annually for routine immunization programmes. The syringes will therefore play a crucial role in preventing the risk of reuse and cross-contamination during immunization efforts. Their advanced safety features have proved effective in halting the transmission of blood-borne illnesses such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Africa has, for long, heavily relied on syringe imports from Asia, a process that can take three to four months by sea to reach many countries. With an annual production capacity of 300 million units, it is reported, the factory aims to supply AD syringes for immunization programmes across Africa at an affordable price.
