Pharmaceutical giant Moderna has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Kenya’s government for its first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa. The signing was witnessed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The state-of-the-art mRNA facility in Africa is expected to produce up to 500 million doses of vaccines each year.

“In parallel, Moderna is also working on plans to allow it to fill doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Africa as early as 2023, subject to demand,” the company said.

The Company anticipates investing up to $500 million in the new facility, which will focus on drug substance manufacturing on the continent of Africa for the continent of Africa.

Currently, the continent – the least-vaccinated region in the world against the coronavirus – relies on imports for about 99 percent of its vaccine needs, according to the World Health Organization.