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President Akufo-Addo (2nd left)
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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment and readiness to provide the necessary assistance to make the Pan-African vaccine manufacturing project a success.
He said the Pan-African vaccine manufacturing project fits perfectly with Ghana’s roadmap for domestic vaccine development and manufacturing, adding “Ghana is ready to play her role, and I reaffirm, once again, her determination to make the project work successfully”.
The President gave the assurance during the groundbreaking ceremony for the commencement of construction of a vaccine manufacturing plant in Kigali, Rwanda, yesterday.
Thanking President Paul Kagame for the invitation to participate in the event, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the commencement of construction “signals to the rest of the world the commencement of this end-to-end vaccine manufacturing facility, involving Rwanda, Senegal and my own country of Ghana.”
Collaboration
In his view, the import of the Pan-African project means that Ghana, Senegal and Rwanda must work together. According to him, that is why the relationship between the Food and Drugs Authorities (FDA) of Ghana and Rwanda would be deepened with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding.
“Through this, FDA Ghana, which achieved WHO Global Benchmarking Maturity Level Three in 2020, and is working hard to achieve Maturity Level Four by the end of this year, will assist FDA Rwanda to attain WHO Maturity Level Three as soon as possible. Both agencies will collaborate further in vaccine drug product manufacturing, fill, finish and lot release in their respective countries,” he noted.
He said the collaboration between the two countries had resulted in a team from Rwanda visiting research institutions in Ghana to “strengthen institutional development and partnership towards vaccine discovery and advancement”.
Readiness
The President revealed that Ghana’s research institutions are undergoing capacity-building to be ready for the discovery and development of vaccines and other biologicals.
“A consortium of Ghanaian pharmaceutical companies, led by DEKS Vaccines Ltd., is working closely with BioNTech Rwanda, BioNTech Germany and kENUP to fill, finish and package the drug product in Ghana from the plant here in Rwanda,” he stated.
He expressed gratitude to BioNTech of Germany, kENUP Foundation, IFC, EIB and the other financial institutions for working closely together with African countries to enable the continent achieve vaccine self-sufficiency.
“I assure all and sundry that Ghana is delighted to be part of this Pan-African Project to manufacture mRNA COVID, Malaria and TB vaccines from drug substance through drug product to fill, finish and package,” the President reiterated.