How Kigali is becoming Africa’s biopharma capital

Several recent developments point to Kigali’s growing role in Africa’s biopharmaceutical landscape. Rwanda has positioned itself as a strategic hub through a combination of investment in scientific capacity, strong regulatory alignment, and institutional hosting. ALSO READ: Rwanda unveils BioNTech’s first vaccine manufacturing plant in Africa Just this week, Bio Usawa, a Kigali-headquartered biotech company, announced an exclusive partnership with Swiss-based Bioeq AG to bring Ranibizumab to Sub-Saharan Africa this year. The medicine, marketed under the brand name BioUcenta, is a monoclonal antibody therapy used to treat vision-threatening conditions such as diabetic macular edema and age-related macular degeneration. These conditions are becoming more common as non-communicable diseases rise across the continent. What sets this agreement apart is that Bio Usawa is not only seeking to import biologics. It plans to manufacture mAb therapies locally, with production expected to begin in 2026. This would likely make Bio Usawa the first company to produce such therapies on the continent. The initial focus is ophthalmology, but they plan to expand to cancer and infectious diseases, two areas where monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are widely used elsewhere but remain largely inaccessible and prohibitively unaffordable to African patients. Bio Usawa plans to make these therapies available at just 20 per cent of global prices initially, according to CEO Menghis Bairu, with a long-term goal of dropping up to 10 per cent. Rwanda has already demonstrated the potential value of these therapies. During the 2024 Marburg virus outbreak, the country deployed imported mAbs as part of its emergency response. The result was a historically low fatality rate (22.7%) compared to similar previous outbreaks on the continent. Alongside this private sector initiative, several continental regulatory and scientific institutions are also choosing Kigali as a base of operations. Last month, the African Medicines Agency (AMA) appointed its first Managing Director, Ghanaian regulator Delese Mimi Darko. The AMA, established to harmonize drug regulation across the African Union, is headquartered in Kigali. The agency’s presence in Kigali sends a clear message that Rwanda is not just building labs; it is shaping the legal and institutional architecture for a future where African-made therapies are evaluated, approved, and distributed continent-wide. The Africa Regional Office of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), which focuses on vaccine research and development for neglected diseases, is also based in Kigali. Its first Deputy Director General, Cameroonian virologist Nicaise Ndembi, was appointed in late 2024. Another major institution, the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation, is currently in its setup phase in Kigali. Backed by the African Development Bank and overseen by an eminent advisory council that includes President Paul Kagame, the foundation aims to facilitate pharmaceutical technology transfer across the continent. One of its core thematic areas is biosimilars and monoclonal antibodies, which closely aligns with Bio Usawa’s stated priorities. Kigali is also home to BioNTech’s first modular mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa. The plant, which will mainly deliver immunotherapies according to available information, represents another long-term investment in African biotechnology infrastructure. The clustering of these initiatives in one location reflects a broader pattern. Rwanda is increasingly seen as a country that offers regulatory predictability, efficient governance, and political neutrality – factors that matter when setting up regional or continental initiatives that require cross-border coordination. Much of this infrastructure is still in its early stages. The true measure of success will lie in the long-term ability of these initiatives to deliver improved access to medicines, support skills development, and strengthen regional pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. Still, the trend is noteworthy. As Africa seeks greater autonomy in the development of medical products, Kigali is clearly playing an outsized role in shaping the next chapter of Africa’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology landscape. The author is a public health professional.

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How Kigali is becoming Africa’s biopharma capital