President Ursula von der Leyen met with the President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame during the Global Gateway Forum. The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of the European Union to engage with Rwanda as a key player in the Great Lakes region and the wider African continent and to maintain a cooperative and forward-looking partnership.
This reinforced partnership through Global Gateway investments will be further strengthened with new investments worth €105 million from Team Europe (the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. Through this investment package, the EU is advancing the ambition of Rwanda to become a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing and strengthening economic inclusion for refugees.
Team Europe is supporting the ambition of Rwanda to position itself as a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing and medical innovation. The European Commission and the European Investment Bank, under the Human Development Accelerator (HDX), have awarded to BioNTech, through a blended finance operation of €95 million, a €35 million milestone-based grant and up to €60 million credit facility that can we be withdrawn from the European Investment Bank. The objective is to support BioNTech to establish overall site infrastructure for facility operations, to develop clinical manufacturing capabilities and build contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) capabilities.
The EU is committing €10 million, co-funded by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP), to support the implementation of the Refugee Sustainable Graduation Strategy (2025–2030) of Rwanda. The initiative aims to enable 50% of eligible refugee households (14,403 families) to build self-reliance and realise their productive potential through education, livelihoods and social protection measures.
Background
EU–Rwanda partnership
The European Union and Rwanda are working together to advance green growth, digital transformation and inclusive prosperity. Global Gateway investments are advancing the green transition, agricultural innovation, and skills and job creation in the health, digital and SME sectors.
Global Gateway Forum
The Global Gateway Forum brings together leaders from the European Union and across the globe, alongside the private sector, civil society, financial institutions and international organisations, to promote sustainable investment worldwide.
Global Gateway
Global Gateway is the EU’s offer to boost smart, clean and secure connections in the digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems. Through a Team Europe approach, it aims to mobilise up to €300 billion in investments by 2027, closing the global investment gap and creating lasting links rather than dependencies.
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