Rwanda has landed a deal to establish a pharmaceutical body, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), to support the region in the making of vaccines, drugs and patent applications.
The African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation is part of the bank’s commitment to spend at least KSh352.95 billion over the next 10 years to support the industry under its Vision 2030 Pharmaceutical action Plan.
The establishment of the foundation is set to benefit the East African region by promoting bilateral trade, especially since Rwanda has been an importer of Kenya’s medical supplies.
AfDB argues that 35 companies signed a licence with America’s Merck- a multinational pharmaceutical company to produce Nirmatrelvir, a COVID-19 drug, and none of them was African.
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