On 16 February 2022, ahead of the AU-EU summit, the Presidents of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, of Senegal, Macky Sall, of Ghana, Nana Akoufo-Addo, the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, and of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen attended the Marburg launch event in the presence of WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attending via video-link.
BioNTech is setting up three factories for end-to-end production of its COVID-19 vaccine in Africa, each with an annual capacity of 50 million doses of formulated bulk. The factories will be exact clones of BioNTech’s vaccine factory in the German city of Marburg. Fill & Finish will be provided by African partners.
Find out more in the BioNTech press release.
Check against delivery
Herr Bundeskanzler,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Learning from this terrible pandemic to build a better future is crucial…
…and we have learned that breakthrough solutions just don’t fall from the sky! They are the outcome of systemic engagement, disruptive ideas, extensive research and long-term investments.
At the European Investment Bank we have taken the health response to this pandemic very seriously, unlocking vaccine and health investment and supporting economic resilience across Africa, Europe and around the world.
…and I am very happy that the EIB backed new investment by our hosts BioNTech into innovative mRNA-based solutions, even before the pandemic started.
Ensuring that the global vaccination campaign is a success is a moral imperative and a priority for the EU. That’s why we have reached out to global partners – including Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda, Benin, Morocco, Kenya, South Africa – to support their response, and that’s why at the EIB we have been early financiers of COVAX, partnering with WHO and the European Commission.
It’s evident that one big component was missing: vaccine production in Africa for Africa including the vital technology transfer. The EIB congratulates BioNTech and all partners who are contributing to fill this gap, which is so crucial to tackle future pandemics.
As part of Team Europe, the EIB has worked closely with BioNTech, Kenup and partners to enable this impressive project. Committing to sustainable vaccine production in Africa for Africa needs to look further than the current COVID-19 vaccine and that is exactly what is happening thanks to the engagement of the BioNTech founders into looking for solutions against Malaria and TB.
Since the start of the pandemic the EIB has provided more than €8 billion for new private and public investment across the African continent.
But in an era of stretched resources, it’s impact that matters! Last month we launched EIB Global, our new dedicated branch to strengthen the impact of investments around the world, notably clean energy and climate action, health, digitalisation and strengthening access to finance by African business.
EIB Global stands ready to finance projects in energy- and water supply-infrastructure in Africa also with the objective to strengthen primary health care.
The projects we will finance will directly complement local vaccine production by BioNTech and strengthen Africa’s resilience to future pandemics.
Today marks an important step in the right direction for Europe, Africa and its people, and those who work tirelessly to improve health for future generations.
Thank you.