The company's first modular factory elements, based on shipping containers, were delivered to the Kigali construction site in March and were then assembled into so-called BioNTainers.

It will be the first foreign company mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent.

Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder and chief executive officer.

"Africa will have one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world. These BioNTainers will be able to manufacture any kind of mRNA vaccines."

The company said in a statement it had fully funded the facility, committing a total of $150 million.

BioNTech says the BioNTainers could make other mRNA vaccines, depending on product development progress and public health priorities.

The company also said that the initial vaccine factory could become part of a wider supply network spanning several African nations including Senegal and South Africa.

Rwanda's president, Paul Kagame.

"Vaccine inequity hit Africa hard during the pandemic. We found ourselves knocking on every door in search of doses. The situation was intolerable."

The move to start production in Africa is also part of BioNTech's push to expand mRNA manufacturing globally.

Rival Moderna in March this year unveiled plans to establish an mRNA manufacturing facility in Kenya, which would be its first such facility in Africa.