15 Dec 2021

Botswana and NantWorks have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will enable the country to build pharmaceutical productive capabilities and to better respond to COVID-19 health challenges.

The signing, by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi and NantWorks founder Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, followed a virtual meeting between the two parties on Tuesday.

“The MoU will contribute to addressing global vaccine shortages and unmet health needs that have mainly crippled the developing south. This directly responds to priority one of saving Botswana’s population from COVID-19 under the Reset Agenda,” President Masisi said.

Through the MoU, the country will strengthen health care capacities, initiate the transfer of biological manufacturing technology for COVID-19 and cancer vaccines, improve health management systems and sustainable water generation at Lobu Farm and assist in the development of the Maun science park.

The expected digital technologies will help Botswana drive efficiencies and improve small stock sector productivity and competitiveness.

That, he said, would contribute to skills and knowledge transfer to the farming community, improve food security, export diversification, employment creation as well as livelihoods and rural development improvement.

“Equally, this will respond to priorities two and three under the Reset Agenda relating to digitalisation and value-chain development (food systems),” he said.

President Masisi expressed government’s commitment and intentional support to NantWorks by facilitating the necessary approvals and processes to set up and operate forthwith.

Government had already brought together relevant stakeholders and capabilities to support the projects and initiatives, President Masisi revealed.

He said they included Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, University of Botswana, Botswana International University of Science and Technology as well as Botswana Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence.

President Masisi described the partnership with NantWorks as significant in driving the digital transformation agenda and delivering on government’s promise to transform the country from resource-based to knowledge-based by 2036.

It was also critical in driving the Reset Agenda which outlined recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

For his part, Dr Soon-Shiong said his company identified Botswana as an investor-friendly country in which it wished to operate from as a gateway to regional and continental markets.

He said Botswana could serve as an artery for bringing about technology and know-how to other Sub-Saharan Africa countries.

“We are committed to sharing the know-how we have learnt for the past 30 years in education, science and human capital and we do not want it to be a preserve for developed or rich countries only,” he said.

Dr Soon-Shiong said NantWorks technology had made breakthrough treatments in chronic illnesses and should therefore be extended to developing countries.

Expressing readiness to start the ball rolling, he said his mission was to bring technological resources that would ease disease burden and improve education.

NantWorks is an American multinational conglomerate  owning a number of companies in the health care, biotech and artificial intelligence start-up fields as well as a venture capital firm in the healthcare, education, science and technology sectors.

The company first expressed interest to set up in Botswana during President Masisi’s visit to California in September.

NantWorks has also collaborated with Botswana in the implementation of SmartBots initiatives. Ends