The Covid pandemic claimed millions of lives, while exposing a new dimension of inequality between the developed and developing worlds.

The virus did not leave any country unaffected, but timely access to vaccines and therapeutics was deeply uneven and unfair.

In the urgency of the moment, Africa and its partners vowed to work together to build vaccine research and manufacturing capability, for the long term.

Once the pandemic passed, it would have been easy to forget this commitment, and go back to business as usual.

I therefore wish to commend France, the African Union, and Gavi for convening this important meeting and actions flowing from that.

The launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) will help ensure that vaccine production in Africa has a secure future.

Last December, BioNTech inaugurated, in Rwanda, the first end-to-end mRNA production facility on our continent.

The process which led to this result was initiated in 2021 by the African Union, with Senegal, Ghana, and South Africa as well as Rwanda as the initial focal points.

The head of BioNTech Africa and others working in that centre impressively come from across Africa. In fact, the expert leading that centre now is from Nigeria. So, it brings Africa together in a very impressive way.

Last month, CEPI announced 145 million dollars in funding to support commercial-scale manufacturing at the BioNTech factory, and develop robust pandemic preparedness capabilities, including research and development.

There are other new initiatives that will also help our continent take full advantage of AVMA, notably the African Development Bank’s African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation (APTF), the African headquarters of the International Vaccine Institute, and the African Medicines Agency (AMA).

These efforts show what is possible with strong partnerships that link governments, scientists, and innovative companies.

Regulatory excellence is the key that unlocks vaccine sovereignty.

Rwanda therefore committed to upgrading our national regulatory agency to Maturity Level 3 status, as quickly as possible.

I take this opportunity to thank the World Health Organization, and our partners in the European Union, including France, who have supported us on this journey.

The main purpose of these collaborations is not primarily to produce the vaccines that are currently in use in Africa.

That is beneficial, but it does not really move the needle, in terms of access and health outcomes.

The more ambitious objective we should aim for, is to create new vaccines and therapies that target Africa’s disease burden, using the latest technology platforms.

Almost all new vaccine and drug discovery is taking place using these platforms, increasingly with artificial intelligence applications.

These products should be invented, perfected, and produced in Africa, in an affordable manner, working with our global partners.

This goal should call us to action.

Gavi’s model has already saved millions of lives, but there is more work to do.

Rwanda strongly supports Gavi’s replenishment process, as well as full funding of AVMA, and we will do our part.

We must also continue building our continent’s health institutions, Africa CDC and the African Medicines Agency.

That includes a responsibility for all of us in Africa to increase contributions from our domestic resources to fund public health.

As a continent, recent global shocks have taught us many lessons. Perhaps the most important is to take ownership of our future, and our health.

That is the shared commitment, which is advanced by today’s gathering.

I thank you for your kind attention.