LEADERS of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), on Wednesday, heard from the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, at a special meeting of the 45th Conference of Heads of Government.

At the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain, President Kagame updated the CARICOM Heads about his country’s plans to establish a vaccine manufacturing plant with Guyana and Barbados.

And he said the next step is to now establish a procurement mechanism.

“As a start, Guyana, Barbados, and Rwanda have embarked on a programme of mutual support for the local manufacturing of vaccines and medicines. The next step is to commit to a pooled procurement mechanism that will make these facilities sustainable over the long run,” Kagame said.

Discussions on establishing a vaccine manufacturing plant in the Caribbean first started last year in June when President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for a BioNTech facility – the first vaccine production facility – to be constructed in Rwanda (Kigali).

It was there that the Guyanese Head of State stated his intention to upgrade Guyana’s framework towards establishing a similar facility at home.

Meanwhile, the Rwandan President encouraged CARICOM leaders to find a solution to the connectivity issues between Africa and the Caribbean in terms of transport and telecommunications.

“Digital jobs will be a critical driver for high-quality youth employment for our economies, and also a key lever for offering our brightest young people an alternative to migration.

“The Commonwealth has a number of initiatives in this area, which can give us a head-start.”

He further urged the regional bloc to “gather strength by working together in our regional organisations, integrating our economies, and sharing infrastructure costs.”

He added, “Building on the co-operation within our respective regions, however imperfect it might be, we are in a good position to collaborate across regions. That really involves enabling the free movement of people by removing obstacles to travel and exchange,” the Rwandan President said.