The biotech company Moderna has completed the agreement meant to see through the setting up of a $500 million mRNA vaccine facility in Nairobi.
Speaking at an American Chamber of Commerce regional trade summit, President Ruto said Moderna’s investment will be a catalyst for the medical and pharmaceutical industry not just in Kenya but in the whole of Africa.
“This will be the only such facility on the African continent,” Ruto said
According to a statement released by Moderna, the facility will manufacture up to 500 million doses of vaccine each year.
“We hope to bring mRNA innovation to the people of Africa in areas of high unmet need, such as acute respiratory infections, as well as persistent infectious diseases like HIV and outbreak threats such as Zika and Ebola,” said Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel.
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The company, however, did not provide a date for when production would begin.
The company further said it now has commitments to establish mRNA manufacturing facilities in Kenya, the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
mRNA instructs cells in the body to make specific proteins, and proteins play many essential roles in our bodies, vaccine manufacturers hope that the mRNA technology can accelerate vaccination development and production.