Singapore’s role in Covid-19 vaccine production and future pandemics

Thomas Cueni

LAST year, Germany’s BioNTech committed to setting up its regional HQ and manufacturing facility in Singapore and more recently, France’s Sanofi also announced a new vaccine production plant in the republic.  

So when Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong stated at the Group of 20 (G20) Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting in Sorrento, Italy last year that Singapore will play an active role in ensuring a strong recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, such as by addressing imbalances in manufacturing capacity of vaccines, it was clearly not an empty promise.  In the early days of any future pandemic, Singapore will have a competitive advantage over other countries who find themselves balancing meeting the needs of their own larger populations, rather than supplying others. It can therefore be more reliable in terms of not imposing export restrictions. Singapore can play a critical role in Covid-19 vaccine production and help build the infrastructure to respond to future pandemics by fostering innovation.