By Jerry Omondi
Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech plans to establish a vaccine manufacturing plant in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni announced on Monday, following talks with the company’s representatives.
Museveni held talks with the team of officials from the Beijing-based company at State House in Entebbe.
“The company plans to work with the government to establish a vaccine and biotech centre in Uganda,” Museveni said on Twitter.
“The vaccine and biotech centre will be for use by Uganda and East Africa at large. With this centre, we shall achieve vaccine security and independence for both Uganda and the region. I support this idea and welcome them.”
Sinovac is one of the companies authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to manufacture and distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
WHO validated the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in June 2021, giving countries, funders, procuring agencies and communities the assurance that it meets international standards for safety, efficacy and manufacturing.