The World Health Organization announced on Friday that six African countries—Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa—will be the first in the continent to receive the technology needed to produce mRNA vaccines. The technology transfer project, which began last year, aims to assist low- and middle-income countries in manufacturing this type of vaccine as needed and in accordance with international standards.
mRNA is an advanced technology used by companies like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to produce their COVID-19 vaccines. The WHO established its mRNA technology transfer hub after wealthy countries hoarded vaccines and companies prioritized governments that could pay the highest price, placing low- and middle-income countries at the end of the line for COVID-19 vaccines.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated more than anything else that relying on a few companies for supplying the world with public health products entails limitations and risks. He added, "The best way to tackle health emergencies and achieve universal health coverage in the medium to long term is to significantly increase the capacity of all regions to manufacture the health products they need."
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised the project and urged the global COVAX vaccine distribution mechanism and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) to purchase vaccines from local manufacturing centers in African countries. Ramaphosa stated, "The limited markets available for vaccines produced by the African continent should concern us all." He emphasized, "Organizations like COVAX and Gavi should commit to purchasing vaccines from local manufacturers instead of going outside these emerging hubs."
