President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed the desire for Nigerian biomedical scientists, officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and BioNTech Company to produce the messenger RNA vaccines in the country.
The President spoke when he hosted the Executive Chairman of KENUP Foundation and representative of the CEO of BioNTech, the mRNA vaccine patent holder in Africa, Mr. Holm Keller, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
President Buhari expressed confidence that the interactions between the parties would be productive and lead to collaborations at many levels – from clinical trials to research and development of new vaccines – and eventually support vaccine manufacturing facilities in the country.
He said: “We are impressed by the numerous possibilities said to be around the mRNA technology and hence seek cooperation with well-intentioned organisations, including yours, to build a strong bilateral partnership with your company and your affiliate bodies as science gets closer to understanding the possibilities around successful mRNA technology.
“We believe the mRNA technology will help solve other public health challenges too, especially those peculiar to our tropical environment.
“As you conduct exploratory interactions with our scientists in the biomedical field and officials of the Ministry of Health, I look forward to receiving a commitment to expand collaboration to achieve our goal of developing capacities for Research and Development (R&D) and manufacturing.”
Recounting the vast inequalities in access to COVID-19 vaccines at the peak of the pandemic, President Buhari said Nigeria and many middle-income countries now appreciate the need for global decentralisation and diversification of manufacturing capacity of items critical for public health security.
The President also highlighted several investment opportunities and potentials in the country, urging the foundation and other prospective investors to pay “special attention” to Africa’s most populous country.
He added: “KENUP Foundation will find in Nigeria a suitable research and development ecosystem, in terms of human resource expertise and endemic, deadly disease challenges that require research to help to end with new vaccines.
“Our reputable scientific community has the capacity to engage with you meaningfully in all calibres of research and to add value to your joint effort.
Health Minister Dr. Osagie Ehanire said President Buhari has the “passion for public health security, hence your receiving this team”.
He said the team was around to explore possibilities of collaboration in manufacture of new vaccines.
Keller described his organisation as a public-benefit foundation dedicated to innovation in public health.
The foundation chairman said he was thrilled to learn of the great work President Buhari and his administration has done for Nigeria “and the aim of our mission is to establish research partnerships, which would benefit Nigeria and Africa”.
He added: “We want to contribute to vaccine equity through manufacturing scheme suitable for the country. We are working on malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, monkeypox, and other vaccines, to be manufactured in Africa.”