Baerbock visits Rwanda as Africa's first mRNA factory opens

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbockhas praised Euro-African cooperation on vaccine production and promised Africa the full support of Germany and the European Union when fighting future pandemics and other diseases.

Her words came as German pharmaceutical firm BioNTech prepared to open an EU-backed mRNA vaccine plant in Kigali, Rwanda, to help supply the continent when future pandemics such as COVID-19 arise.

What the minister has said

"At a time when we're talking about deepening divides in global politics, we are showing what Euro-African cooperation can achieve," Baerbock said at the official unveiling of part of the new factory in the Rwandan capital.

She called the event a key "milestone" and said she hoped the plant would form "the core of a Rwandan pharmaceutical industry which will will supply the African market at affordable prices."

Acknowledging that Europe and the rest of the world did not act quickly or decisively enough to deliver vaccines to Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Green Party politician said:

"We can't undo the mistakes of the past but together we can learn and build a better future. We can show that we can build a stronger global health system and overcome global crises together."

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said he was "proud" that his country was the location for the new factory, insisting that the quality of vaccines produced there will be "just as good as in other places."

Prior to departure, Baerbock had reaffirmed that "diseases do not recognize national borders or continents — our solidarity must not either" and had underlined:

"Fair and rapid access to life-saving vaccines must not depend on whether a child is born in Germany or Rwanda."

Africa's first mRNA factory

Only one in 100 vaccine doses administered in Africa is currently produced on the continent — a figure that African leaders hope could be 60 times higher by 2040.

"This is definitely an ambitious goal," said DW correspondent Thomas Sparrow, who's accompanying the foreign minister on her trip to Rwanda.

"It's not only about being better prepared for a future pandemic — it's also about helping to deal with public health issues that are very significant for Africa, such as malaria or tuberculosis," said Sparrow.

The Mainz-based company BioNTech plans to make mRNA-based vaccines for the continent at its plant in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, starting next year.

It aims to produce vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis. According to the WHO, 94% of the 249 million malaria cases in 2022 were registered in the continent. 

The EU's Global Gateway project will help pay for the enhanced vaccine capacity with €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) by 2027 — of which some €550 million will come from Germany.

The same initiative also includes up to €300 billion of investment in the infrastructure of emerging and developing countries over the next few years.

Part of the aim is to secure more global influence for the EU, with the project intended to compete with China's "New Silk Road" project.

What else is planned for the visit?

Baerbock was also due to Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta in Kigali, where the pair were to visit a memorial to the victims of the genocide against the Tutsi.

In 1994, Hutu majority militias murdered at least 800,000 members of the Tutsi minority in Rwanda.

Under current President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has become a leader within Africa in many areas, including the fight against corruption, with economic growth well above the continental average.

However, there are criticisms about the persecution of opposition figures and journalists who are critical of the government.

A deal with the United Kingdom for Rwanda to accept migrants who have reached Britain by irregular means is also controversial.

The UK Supreme Court struck down the plan, deeming the country too unsafe.

After arriving in Kigali, Baerbock rejected calls for asylum procedures to be outsourced from Europe.

Baerbock said she was "a bit surprised" that some German conservatives had suggested a similar asylum policy based on the British model.

rc/fb (dpa, AFP)

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