German biotechnology company BioNTech unveiled its new $150 million modular messenger RNA vaccine manufacturing facility made of a set of stacked shipping containers in Kigali on Monday — the company’s first on the African continent.
African leaders, among others, gathered for the ceremony to celebrate this unveiling as a step toward the continent’s goal of achieving pharmaceutical sovereignty.
“It means Africa will have one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world,” said Uğur Şahin, the chief executive officer and co-founder of BioNTech, during the ceremony.
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About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
