Vaccine against COVID-19

    Development cooperation with Rwanda Pandemic response and vaccine production

    Rwanda has managed to get through the COVID-19 pandemic with a comparatively low number of cases thanks to strict lockdowns, nationwide testing strategies and one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in Africa. According to government figures, almost the entire adult population has been vaccinated twice and about 60 per cent have already had their third shot.

    The pandemic-related economic downturn in Rwanda has been a challenge, especially for the services and tourism sector. The World Bank estimates that more than half a million people have been pushed back into poverty by the pandemic.

    In order to lessen the economic fallout from the pandemic, Germany is using its development cooperation to support the expansion of social protection systems and to make loans available for small and medium-sized enterprises.


    Local vaccine production site

    The African Union has set itself the goal of developing local vaccine production. Currently, only one per cent of the vaccines being used in Africa are actually produced on the continent; by 2040 it is to be 60 per cent.

    Along with South Africa, Senegal and Ghana, Rwanda is one of the future sites for local vaccine production. The goal is to produce vaccines against Malaria and tuberculosis locally.

    Rwanda has made a very quick and efficient start on creating the necessary conditions for setting up vaccine production. The BMZ is supporting the country in its efforts to train the skilled staff needed for this and is contributing to building the capacities of the regulatory authority. To that end, a total of 35 million euros was made available in 2021 both bilaterally and via the East African Community (EAC).

    As at: 23/02/2022