{"id":384127,"date":"2017-12-18T06:35:51","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T06:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=384127"},"modified":"2017-12-18T07:54:23","modified_gmt":"2017-12-18T07:54:23","slug":"ghana-begin-vaccine-production-merck-rms-sign-mou","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/12\/ghana-begin-vaccine-production-merck-rms-sign-mou\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghana to begin vaccine production as Merck and RMS sign MoU"},"content":{"rendered":"
Merck KGaA and Ridge Management Solutions (RMS Innovativ), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, opening the opportunity for Ghana to become the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to have a dedicated human vaccine manufacturing factory.<\/p>\n
The plant will encompass a diverse range of products in the medium to long-term.<\/p>\n
The MoU, signed on Wednesday, December 13th<\/sup>, 2017, follows fruitful discussions between Merck KGaA and RMS over the past two years. Brigitte Zypries, Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, and a delegation who accompanied the German President, H.E. Frank-Walter Steinmeier on a three-day state visit to Ghana, witnessed the signing of the MoU along with His Excellency the Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.<\/p>\n Dr. Bawumia commended the initiative, and in a press briefing indicated the government\u2019s full support for the project stressing on its relevance not only for Ghana but for Africa as a whole.<\/p>\n Key aspects of the MoU include basic design, facility construction as well as equipment supply installation, tech transfer, validation support, training and qualification of staff.<\/p>\n Along with the objectives of addressing some of the problems of local vaccine supply, additional relevance in line with AU policies such as the Pharma Manufacturing Plan for Africa, the Continental Free Trade Area, and along with Ghana\u2019s own Rapid Industrial Transformation Agenda, it is the aim of this government that this project be built to complement these accords and enhance an African initiative in this field. Africa is most dependent for its vaccine supply from external sources with more than 99% imported as finished products. Local production along with related technologies is almost non-existent, therefore this initiative will also serve as a catalyst for further growth within the sector.<\/p>\n