Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa are in advanced talks with several major investors to start producing coronavirus vaccines in Africa, Rwandan President Paul Kagame confirmed last week.
Africa is “trying to find partners to start manufacturing vaccines on our continent,” Kagame said at the Qatar Economic Forum. “We are discussing with people who will help with the financing, and I think in a few months we should have a different story to tell,” Kagame said, without giving details of how the venture will be funded.
The continent of 1.3 billion people has only vaccinated about 1% of its population with the two doses against Covid-19 yet, while some wealthier countries have inoculated enough of their citizens to start reactivating their economies.
Also on Monday, Kagame hinted that Europeans will be the ones to pay for vaccine manufacturing in Africa. “Rwanda has a very good B+ credit rating. The Eurobond is a good option that will provide us with resources that we are currently seeking,” he said.
