Kenya Selected Among the First Beneficiaries of mRNA Vaccine Technology

Kenya is set to benefit from the global messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology transfer program by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

It is among six African countries that will be supported by WHO to start local production of Covid-19 and other vaccines to combat various diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and cancer. Other beneficiaries include Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria, Tunisia, and South Africa.

The global mRNA technology transfer hub was established in 2021 to support manufacturers in low and middle-income countries to produce their own vaccines as part of the efforts to address vaccine inequity.

“The aim of the hub is to provide a facility where manufacturers from low- and lower-middle income countries can receive training in how to produce certain vaccines, and the licenses to do so.”

“WHO will work with the companies and the government in each country to develop a roadmap for training and production, based on their needs and capacities,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesussaid said on the sidelines of the ongoing AU-EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium.

President Kenyatta, who is also attending the summit, welcomed the selection of Kenya as a beneficiary of the program, saying it demonstrates the “power of partnerships to change the trajectory of Africa’s health for the better.”

“Today marks a new dawn of hope and promise for the African continent and her people. As one of the region’s foremost leaders in biomedical research, Kenya is honoured to be listed as one of the beneficiary countries of the mRNA technology transfer program,” Kenyatta said.