Month: March 2023

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Moderna Finalizes Agreement with the Government of the Republic of Kenya to Establish an mRNA Manufacturing Facility

Facility to enable access to manufactured mRNA vaccines for Kenya and the African continent, providing health security and building upon Moderna’s global public health commitments

The facility will be capable of producing up to 500 million doses each year

CAMBRIDGE, MA & NAIROBI, KENYA/ ACCESSWIRE / March 30, 2023 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, and the Government of the Republic of Kenya have finalized an agreement to establish an mRNA manufacturing facility in the Republic of Kenya. This will be the Company’s first mRNA manufacturing facility in Africa.

In partnership with the Government of the Republic of Kenya, Moderna will build a state-of-the-art mRNA facility in Kenya to produce up to 500 million doses of vaccines each year. The Company expects the new facility to enable drug substance and drug product manufacturing for Kenya and the African continent. In addition, this facility will have surge capacity to rapidly scale and respond to public health emergencies on the continent and around the world.

“The finalization of our agreement with the Government of the Republic of Kenya is a key pillar of our global public health strategy, where we hope to bring mRNA innovation to the people of Africa in areas of high unmet need, such as acute respiratory infections, as well as persistent infectious diseases like HIV and outbreak threats such as Zika and Ebola,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “This also demonstrates our confidence in the investment climate in Kenya and the importance of utilizing mRNA technology to build resilience in healthcare security in Africa. We are also grateful for the leadership of the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, and Samantha Power, in her role as Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development for their instrumental support of this project.”

“We are excited about this milestone that brings to bear our efforts as Government to sustain our economic model of facilitating investments that serve not only Kenya but the African continent. My Government commits to supporting this investment as a critical signal to the investment community that Kenya is open for business,” said President William Ruto.

“This investment creates the momentum to meet the $10 billion annual target under the Government’s manufacturing 20 by 30 vision, where we plan to grow the contribution of manufacturing to GDP to 20% by the year 2030 from the current 7%,” said Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry Hon. Moses Kuria.

The Government of Kenya has championed an accelerated investment agenda to grow foreign direct investment levels from the current levels of $448 million annually to $10 billion annually, making the country’s goal the continent’s most ambitious agenda to attract investments as an enabler to job creation. Moderna’s investment signifies confidence in the business environment in Kenya and readiness to support foreign and local investment in the healthcare sector, as well as Moderna’s ongoing commitment to global public health. Moderna will operate under a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status, signifying Kenya’s increasing focus on the SEZ program as a key enabler of economic growth.

With this agreement, Moderna has commitments to establish mRNA manufacturing facilities in Kenya, the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, furthering health security around the world. Moderna has spent more than a decade refining its mRNA platform to accelerate the pace and success of mRNA medicines. The speed, scale, and flexibility of Moderna’s mRNA platform is uniquely suited for rapid response to serious international epidemics, commonly referred to as Disease X.[i]

Moderna is committed to advancing into clinical studies a portfolio of 15 vaccine programs targeting emerging or neglected infectious diseases by 2025, advancing vaccines that address current diseases of significant impact to low- and middle-income countries, and those that prepare for Disease X. Moderna will prioritize development efforts against pathogens identified as persistent global health threats, including HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, neglected tropical diseases and the priority pathogens of the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Learn more at https://www.modernatx.com/responsibility/our-commitment.

About Moderna

In over 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA), to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across seven modalities, a broad intellectual property portfolio, and integrated manufacturing facilities that allow for rapid clinical and commercial production at scale. Moderna maintains alliances with a broad range of domestic and overseas government and commercial collaborators, which has allowed for the pursuit of both groundbreaking science and rapid scaling of manufacturing. Most recently, Moderna’s capabilities have come together to allow the authorized use and approval of one of the earliest and most effective vaccines against the COVID pandemic.

Moderna’s mRNA platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology, and manufacturing, and has allowed the development of therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and auto-immune diseases. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past eight years. To learn more, visit www.modernatx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including statements regarding: the Company’s plans to build an mRNA manufacturing facility in Kenya; the anticipated capacity and output for that facility; the ability of the facility to respond to public health emergencies; Moderna’s aspiration to develop treatments or vaccines against HIV, Zika, Ebola, and other public health pathogens; the ability of Moderna’s mRNA platform to respond to future epidemics; foreign investment in the health sector in Kenya; the advantages of doing business in a Kenyan Special Economic Zone; and Moderna’s plans to establish manufacturing facilities in the United State, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. The forward-looking statements in this press release are neither promises nor guarantees, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond Moderna’s control and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others, those risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Moderna’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and in subsequent filings made by Moderna with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, Moderna disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on Moderna’s current expectations and speak only as of the date of this press release.

Moderna Contacts:

Media:

Luke Mircea Willats
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
Luke.Mirceawillats@modernatx.com

Investors:

Lavina Talukdar
Senior Vice President & Head of Investor Relations
617-209-5834
Lavina.Talukdar@modernatx.com

[i] “Disease X” was named by the WHO to represent the knowledge that a serious international epidemic could be caused by a pathogen currently unknown to cause human disease. https://www.who.int/activities/prioritizing-diseases-for-research-and-development-in-emergency-contexts

SOURCE: Moderna, Inc.

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Hitachi Energy and Petrofac secure landmark offshore wind agreement worth approximately 13 billion euros

Largest framework agreement in Hitachi Energy company history, enabling long-term capacity expansion to accelerate the energy transition.Complementary technologies and expertise support TenneT’s offshore wind capacity expansion in the German and Dutch sectors of the North Sea.

Zurich, Switzerland, March 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, and Petrofac, a leading international service provider to the energy industry, have been selected by TenneT, the Dutch-German transmission system operator, to supply multiple offshore and onshore HVDC converter stations and associated infrastructure to accelerate the integration of bulk renewables into European power grids.

Hitachi Energy and Petrofac were awarded the multi-year framework agreement as part of TenneT’s ambitious offshore wind “2GW Program”1, based on high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology pioneered by Hitachi Energy.

The agreement includes an initial commitment to deploy six record-breaking renewable integration systems, five of which will connect offshore wind farms to the Dutch grid and the sixth to the German grid. Each of these connection systems has a capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW) and a voltage level of 525 kilovolts (kV) – a world-first for offshore wind.

This landmark framework agreement is the largest ever for Hitachi Energy. It confirms the opportunity to innovate how state-of-the-art technology can be deployed effectively and how new business models enable the scale needed for the green energy transition. The framework agreement approach allows Hitachi Energy and Petrofac to plan in advance and increase their workforce and manufacturing capacity timely as well as train people to have the skills needed in the industry while also capturing synergies between successive projects to meet the in-service dates.

Hitachi Energy will supply its HVDC Light® converter stations, which convert AC to DC power offshore and DC to AC onshore. Petrofac will undertake the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of the offshore platforms and elements of the onshore converter stations.

The first contract under the framework, for the Ijmuiden Ver Alpha project, was awarded with immediate effect. The second, Nederwiek 1, is expected to be awarded later in the year. The framework also includes projects Doordewind 1, Doordewind 2, Nederwiek 3 and LanWin5, expected to be awarded over a 2024-2026 timeframe.

“This innovative business model will set the course for the integration of a huge amount of offshore wind power and gives visibility of the future.  In fact, we are already hiring to expand our global delivery capacity and effectively fulfill these and other orders,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director at Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “We’re proud to be part of this journey and, along with our partner Petrofac, we are setting the benchmark for deploying offshore HVDC technology at scale and with speed.”

“Today’s announcement represents an exciting next step in Petrofac and Hitachi Energy’s collaboration. We have already secured key resource and the yard capacity required to expedite the first two projects in TenneT’s ground-breaking program,” said Sami Iskander, Petrofac’s Group Chief Executive. “By combining Petrofac’s industry-leading EPCI expertise and Hitachi Energy’s well proven technology, we look forward to supporting TenneT to connect larger, more effective wind farms to deliver affordable clean energy for millions of European homes.”

“TenneT has the technical know-how, scale, and geographical position to connect wind energy from the North Sea. This is one of the most important infrastructure projects of the century; the green transformation of the energy system is key for the decarbonisation of industry,” said Tim Meyerjürgens, COO of TenneT. “Together with our market partners, we are very proud to have achieved another important milestone. Together we secure decisive acceleration of the offshore grid development and set the course for the future European energy landscape.”

“The new long-term approach goes hand in hand with a fundamental change in values towards a strong partnership. This approach enables both sides with more flexibility, technological progress, and planning security,” said Marco Kuijpers, Director Large Projects Offshore of TenneT.  This benefits all parties and secures employment, growth, and the strengthening of supply chains. We can already see that our partners invest in extra resources and facilities.”

Hitachi Energy and Petrofac began working together in June 2022, to provide joint grid integration and associated infrastructure solutions to support TenneT’s 2GW Program.2

In the same year, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium agreed to install at least 65 gigawatts of offshore wind energy combined by 2030 announced with the inter-governmental Esbjerg Declaration.3 At 40 gigawatts, almost two-thirds of this capacity is accounted for by TenneT, with 20 gigawatts each in the German and Dutch North Sea sectors.

1 TenneT’s 2GW Program
2 Hitachi Energy and Petrofac to collaborate in growing offshore wind market
3 The Esbjerg Declaration

HVDC website:
https://www.hitachienergy.com/offering/product-and-system/hvdc

About Hitachi Energy Ltd.
Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 40,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of approximately $10 billion USD.
https://www.hitachienergy.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hitachienergy
https://twitter.com/HitachiEnergy

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology. We will solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, under the business structure of Digital Systems & Services, Green Energy & Mobility, Connective Industries and Automotive Systems. Driven by green, digital, and innovation, we aim for growth through collaboration with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2021 (ended March 31, 2022) totaled 10,264.6 billion yen ($84,136 million USD), with 853 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 370,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

About Petrofac
Petrofac is a leading international service provider to the energy industry, with a diverse client portfolio including many of the world’s leading energy companies.

Petrofac designs, builds, manages and maintains oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals and renewable energy infrastructure. Our purpose is to enable our clients to meet the world’s evolving energy needs. Our four values – driven, agile, respectful and open – are at the heart of everything we do.

Petrofac’s core markets are in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and the UK North Sea, where we have built a long and successful track record of safe, reliable and innovative execution, underpinned by a cost effective and local delivery model with a strong focus on in-country value. We operate in several other significant markets, including India, Southeast Asia and the United States. We have 8,000 employees based across 31 offices globally.

Petrofac is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: PFC). For additional information, please refer to the Petrofac website at www.petrofac.com

Media contacts:
Jocelyn Chang
Global Head of Public Relations & Content Strategy
Hitachi Energy
jocelyn.chang@hitachienergy.com

Sophie Reid
Group Head of Communications
Petrofac
sophie.reid@petrofac.com

Attachment

Jocelyn Chang
Hitachi Energy
jocelyn.chang@hitachienergy.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8798527

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Tinubu @71: Support group feeds 3000 IDPs in Abuja

Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, one of the foremost support groups that worked for the election of Sen. Bola Tinubu, the President-elect, on Wednesday fed no fewer than 3000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the gesture was part of gestures to mark the 71st birthday anniversary of the president-elect by his supporters and well-wishers across the country.

The event which took place at the Dagba IDP Camp in Area 1, Garki Abuja, was attended by leadership of the support group and politicians who broke their Ramadan fasting and a cut birthday cake with the IDPs including women, children and youths.

The Director-General of the group, Mr Realwan Okpanachi, said the gesture was in line with the generous and humble nature which Tinubu is known for.

He said that the choice of the IDP camp was another demonstration of the low-key birthday celebration as directed by Tinubu who is currently outside the country.

“The significance of this event is Tinubu’s love for the downtrodden. For the less privileged and the challenged in the society. That’s why we are here to celebrate with these people.

“If you listened to his directive, he said his birthday should be celebrated with the downtrodden. That’s why we’re here.

“We’re also here to tell them that the very reason why they’re here is the same reason why Tinubu is coming as President of the Rederal republic of Nigeria to tackle the problem of insecurity which has led them to this place in the first place, abandoning their homes, farming and businesses to seek refuge in this place.

“By the coming of Tinubu to office, he will provide security, education for their children and ensure that each and everyone here is rehabilitated and returned to their original homes to start life afresh as it used to be.

“So, there are no better people to celebrate Tinubu’s birthday with than this vulnerable group who he cares about passionately,” he said.

Okpanachi added that as representatives of the President-elect, they had given the IDPs a message of hope that he will make live liveable and bearable for them in particular and all Nigerians as a whole.

He disclosed that the initial projection of feeding the IDPs was put at 2000, but with the large turnout witnessed additional 1000 packages which had to be made so that they could have a memorable breaking of Ramadan.

Amina Musa, a mother of five and one of the beneficiaries who spoke in Hausa Language thanked the group and said the foods, drinks and fruits collected by her household would help them in breaking the fasting.

“We thank Baba Tinubu for this gesture to me and my family. The things I collected here today will help us to break our fasting. We wish him happy birthday too”.

Speaking on behalf of the IDPs, Idris Alilu, expressed appreciation for the kind gesture from Tinubu to have remembered them at this Ramadan season.

Alilu used the opportunity to pray for good health and divine wisdom for the president-elect to pilot the affairs of the nation commencing from May 29 Presidential Inauguration Day.

NAN reports that prayers were also offered for the unity and peace of the country following the aftermath of the 2023 general elections.(NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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Debt deficit: DMO, Centre task incoming administration on revenue generation

Debt Management Office (DMO) and African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) have tasked the incoming government on revenue generation to tackle Nigeria’s debt deficit.

The stakeholders made the call on Wednesday, in Abuja at a one-Day Leadership and Development Policy Dialogue Series (LDPDS) with the theme “Nigerian Debt Sustainability Threat: Issues, implications, Lessons and Solutions for the Next Administration”.

Director, Portfolio Management Department of the DMO, Mr Dele Afolabi, said that Nigeria had to be deliberate with revenue generation to harness a balanced economy because currently, the revenue did not match the high debt servicing burden of the country.

According to Afolabi, this is imperative since revenue pays debt because the more revenue you have ,the less you have to borrow going forward .

He said although Nigeria had the highest Gross Domestic Product(GDP) in Africa but its government generated revenue to GDP ratio is lower than that of most African countries and this can be tackled through taxes among others.

“The people are not paying the right taxes ,we don’t have the right culture of taxation and revenue for government. So, I think ,looking at the next government ,the key focus should be on how to grow government revenue.

“Most people really don’t pay taxes ,apart from people that receive salaries in the formal sector a lot of people are either not paying tax at all or not paying as they should ;so there a lot of leakages in terms of government revenue.

“If we have the highest GDP in Africa, then we should also have the highest revenue but that is not the situation.’’

Afolabi, therefore, recommended that government should reduce its over dependence on crude oil and harness other resources and solid minerals and block all leakages and grow revenue to reduce accumulating debt.

He also called for stringent action against tax defaulters adding that in other climes ,evading tax payment was criminal and people go to jail for it.

The Executive Director of Centre LSD, Mr Monday Osasah, said that the dialogue was imperative following the Federal Government outcry that Nigeria’s debt sustainability had become threatened following the recent rise in its revenue shortfalls.

Osasah said that according to the Minister of Finance, Nigeria is expected to spend 60 per cent of its total revenue on debt servicing in 2023 and this portended a grave threat to the economy.

“According to Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its Nigerian domestic and foreign debt Q3 2022.

“Nigeria’s debt stock which includes external and domestic debt rose from N42.84trillion or 103.31 billion dollars in the second quarter of the 2022 to N44.06 trillion or 101.91 billion dollars in the third quarter same year.

“The debt figure comprised the debt stock of the Federal Government, the 36 states and FCT.

“The burgeoning trend of our debt is worrisome especially when it is now being used for debt servicing rather than for growing and developing our infrastructure .’’

Osasah said that Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio is put at 83 per cent of quarter 3,2022 and the ratio had been on the rise as Nigeria faced a dwindling government revenue while government expenditures have increased.

He said that considering the grim reality, the need for begin to think and commence advocacy for budgetary reforms, fiscal prudence and revenue innovation for the next government was paramount.

He said without these, it would difficult for the incoming administration to rescue the country from the weakening debt sustainability trend.

Prof. Isah Mohammed ,a Professor of Transport and Financial Economics ,Department of Economics ,University of Abuja, a key speaker at the event, said public debt was a crucial tool for government to finance public spending .

Mohammed said that this was, especially when it is challenging to increase taxes and cut spending and the procedure has resulted in government having enormous unpaid debts overtime.

“Another way to accelerate economic growth is contracting reasonable debt to pay for infrastructure and public projects

“In order to encourage long-term development ,the government should also ensure that borrowing is done on conditions that are consistent with entrenching debt sustainability and that borrowed funds are wisely invested in the economy’s value added sectors.’’

Mohammed said that Nigeria should accomplish this to resolve its debt problems, improve its credit standing and achieve sustainable growth.

He also called for effective tax administration to tackle revenue challenges and the need to ensure compliance to remittances devoid of all form of evasion in the system.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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NGO Angola 2000 launches Kíua Project

A project to promote the rights of women, young people and children, called “Kíua”, was launched this Thursday in Luanda by the Angolan Non-Governmental Organization “Angola 2000”.

The initiative aims to help promote and publicize the rights of this section of society, as well as help denounce sexual abuses, with emphasis on intra-family cases.

In the first quarter of 2023, according to data from the National Children’s Institute (INAC), 296 complaints of violence against children were registered, 16 of which were sexual abuse.

According to INAC data, Luanda is the province that registers the highest number of cases of sexual abuse against girls and children, with a daily average of 12 cases.

According to the president of Angola 2000, Cirilo Mbonge, the project will last for three years and will cover the districts of Luanda, Icolo and Bengo and Quiçama.

“The number of women and children suffering from sexual abuse is appalling, so we want to pay more attention to this issue. Every day we have news about this sad issue”, he defended.

He added that by the end of the project it is expected to support at least two hundred and forty girls who are victims of sexual abuse.

He continued by saying that it will be legal and psychological, as it was found that many of these girls and children do not have any kind of follow-up, which often leads them to depression.

The official appealed for the support of public and private associations, directly or indirectly, in the fight against sexual abuse.

“We know that we cannot put an end to this evil, but if we join together, we add that we can reduce the number of this evil that has affected our society”, he concluded.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

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Carrinho Buisness Group presents Industrial Complex at Expo-Industry2023

The 5th Edition of Expo-Indústria/2023 is serving for Carrinho Group to present an Industrial Complex, with the capacity to produce 2.4 million tons of various products, said this Thursday the marketing and communication director of the business group, Yuri Rodrigues.

Speaking to ANGOP, at Expo-Industry/2023 venue, he stressed that the aforementioned complex processes rice, wheat, corn and refines oil, in addition to the production of other consumer goods. Yuri Rodrigues underlined that the group’s industry does all of the production, processing of raw materials, finishing of products, which are then sold, through Carrinho group, via its “Bem Baratos” stores.

He said the expo is also serving to present a company that works in the area of agricultural promotion, “Carrinho Agri”, through families.

“We have 58,000 family farmers working with us and promoting maize, wheat, rice, beans and soybeans. At fairs, we make many partnerships with other companies that already produce locally. These companies sell their products in our stores, through our brands”, he stressed.

According to Yuri Rodrigues, with the industrial complex, which has the capacity to produce 2.4 million tons of different products, the company intends to be 100% national.

The group has 17 factories, home to 6,800 jobs, and currently has the largest storage structure in the country, with a capacity of 100,000 tons of cereals and 55,000 cubic meters of storage tanks for oleaginous products.

The 5th edition of Expo-indústria/2023, which started on the 29th of March and is due to end on the 1st of April, in the Special Economic Zone (ZEE) Luanda-Bengo, takes place in an area of two thousand square meters of exhibition space and has 238 exhibitors between national and international ones.

Among the main sectors on display, civil construction stands out with 22%, commerce and distribution (12%), the textile and catering sectors with 11% each, handicrafts (10%), oil and gas and agribusiness with 8%, plus banking and insurance, the furniture industry with five percent each.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)