Moderna said it expects to invest about $500 million (Sh56.5 billion) in the Kenyan facility and supply as many as 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines to the African continent each year.
It also has plans to start filling doses of its Covid vaccine in Africa as early as 2023, following a deal with the Kenyan government.
Moderna's Covid vaccine brought in $17.7 billion in sales in 2021 and has been cleared for use in over 70 countries including Kenya.
American biotechnology firm Moderna will set up a manufacturing facility in Kenya, its first in Africa, to produce messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, including Covid-19 shots.
Moderna said it expects to invest about $500 million (Sh56.5 billion) in the Kenyan facility and supply as many as 500 million doses of mRNA vaccines to the African continent each year.
It also has plans to start filling doses of its Covid vaccine in Africa as early as 2023, following a deal with the Kenyan government.
"We are pleased to partner with Moderna in the establishment of this mRNA manufacturing facility to help prepare the country and our sister states on the continent through the African Union to respond to future health crises and stave off the next pandemic," President Uhuru Kenyatta said after announcing the deal.
"Moderna's investment in Kenya will help advance equitable global vaccine access and is emblematic of the structural developments that will enable Africa to become an engine of sustainable global growth."
Moderna’s announcement comes amid mounting pressure on biotech firms to share their expertise with manufacturers in countries that desperately need more coronavirus vaccine doses. President Kenyatta has previously led the calls among African leaders.
Moderna's Covid vaccine brought in $17.7 billion in sales in 2021 and has been cleared for use in over 70 countries including Kenya.