President William Ruto, on Thursday, March 30, announced that the government had received Ksh66 billion (USD 500 million) for constructing a Moderna facility.
Ruto disclosed that the facility will be the first of its kind in Africa and the first Moderna factory outside the US. Moderna is a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.
"It is with pleasure that I announce a finalised deal between Moderna and the Government of Kenya to build a Ksh66 billion ($500 million) mRNA vaccine facility in the Nairobi area," the president stated while attending the American Chamber of Commerce Regional Business Summit in Nairobi.
According to Ruto, the factory will be a catalyst for Africa's medical and pharmaceutical industry and was in line with Kenya's Universal Health Care project.
"It is grounded in our establishment to be part of the ecosystem to support the public health needs in Kenya and all people across the continent," noted Shannon Klinger from Moderna.
Furthermore, Moderna expects the new facility to enable drug substance and drug product manufacturing in Kenya and Africa.
"This is to demonstrate our confidence in the investment climate in Kenya and the importance of utilising mRNA technology to build resilience in healthcare security in Africa," stated Moderna CEO, Stephane Bancel.
"My government commits to supporting this investment as a critical signal to the investment community that Kenya is open for business," Ruto affirmed.
Moderna aims to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients.
During his trip to Belgium on March 29, Ruto allowed three multinational biotechnology companies to be established in Kenya.
According to Ruto, the three companies will help boost Kenya's medical emergencies and empower Kenya to become a regional powerhouse in the health sector.
Ruto stated that one of the companies was Univercells Technologies, adding, "The investment your organization is going to make in Kenya is testimony that the global south is not as risky as they are being profiled."
