Annalena Baerbock, Germany's Foreign Minister, has called on the African continent to fight against pandemics and diseases together during her visit to Rwanda. In her statement on Sunday, the Green Party politician emphasized the importance of solidarity, as diseases know no borders and therefore solidarity should not have any either. The Foreign Minister will participate in an event in the capital city of Kigali on Monday, where the Mainz-based pharmaceutical company BioNTech will present its first production facility for mRNA vaccines in Africa.

Baerbock made it clear that the path to a just and international health architecture is a marathon, in which a strong team is essential. Therefore, the "Team Europe" also supports the goal of its own vaccine production in Africa, from concept development to administration.

Currently, only one out of 100 vaccine doses is produced on site in Africa, but Baerbock expects this number to increase 60-fold by 2040. This will be made possible through the EU initiative "Global Gateway," which will invest a total of 1.2 billion euros by 2027, with Germany contributing 550 million euros.

The opening of the first mRNA vaccine factory in Africa is a significant milestone and hope for millions of people, according to Baerbock. The "Global Gateway" initiative is part of a plan to invest up to 300 billion euros in the infrastructure of emerging and developing countries to strengthen the global influence of the EU and compete with China's "New Silk Road".

As the COVID pandemic swept across the globe, it became clear to everyone that "no one is safe until everyone is safe," said Baerbock. She also emphasized the pain of the fact that at the beginning of the pandemic, too many people in Africa were exposed to the virus without protection and that the international community was not able to act quickly enough. In the case of other diseases such as malaria or tuberculosis, a single vaccination is often crucial for life and death.

Therefore, a fair and fast access to life-saving vaccines should not depend on where a child is born, emphasized Baerbock. Baerbock will visit Rwanda on Monday and, among other things, visit the construction site of the first commercial mRNA vaccine factory in Africa. BioNTech plans to produce mRNA-based vaccines for the African continent there, including the COVID-19 vaccine and potentially other vaccines, such as against tuberculosis and malaria.

In addition, a conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs Vincent Biruta and a visit to the memorial for the victims of the genocide against the Tutsi are also on the program. In 1994, at least 800,000 people were killed in a approximately 100-day massacre by militias of the Hutu majority, mainly Tutsi. Rwanda is also referred to as the "Switzerland of Africa" because, under President Paul Kagame, it has been a pioneer in many areas on the continent, such as the ban on plastic bags and the fight against corruption.

Although economic growth is above the African average, there is also criticism from human rights organizations regarding the persecution of government critics and journalists. The agreement with the United Kingdom, which foresees Rwanda accepting migrants who have attempted to immigrate to the UK, is also controversial.

The BioNTech stock was briefly trading at a loss of 0.86 percent at $101.32 on the NASDAQ in pre-market trading on Monday.