20 Jan 2022

Government is looking forward to the drug manufacturing plant multinational conglomerate NantWorks plans to establish in Botswana taking off,  President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has said.

Welcoming Dr Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder and chairman of NantWorks, a bio-technology and pharmaceutical company, to his office yesterday, the President called on all stakeholders to do whatever it took for the project to be realised.

President Masisi  informed his guest that Botswana was receptive to potential investors and that Batswana were a tolerant society, embracing the rights of all.

He said the recent Court of Appeal judgement relating to the rights of gays and lesbians exemplified that tolerance.

Dr Masisi said the court found that criminalisation of consensual same sex activities violated the constitutional rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons to dignity, liberty, privacy and equality.

“As a tolerant society, we want to embrace all and therefore whoever has interest in doing business in the country must understand that we are an open-minded nation and therefore must feel free to set up here,” he said.

To confirm embracement of  the country’s culture of tolerance, the President said he would in the near future engage with leaders of the organisation advocating for the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender persons.

Dr Masisi said another decision which showed government’s determination to accommodate all was the ongoing activities geared towards review of the constitution.

He said the recently appointed commission of enquiry into the review of the constitution would ascertain Batswana’s views on the nation’s founding document.

For his part, Dr Soon-Shiong, said the proposed NantWorks project, the first of its kind,  would produce COVID-19 vaccines.

Describing Botswana as a favourable location for business, the South Africa-born US-based business magnate revealed that his company was determined to bring 21st century bio-technology and medicine to Africa.

“The main reason that I am here is that I am an African. I was born in South Africa. I had the privilege of learning all the techniques of how to develop bio-technology drugs in America. My mission now is to bring it home,” he said.

He said  he was honoured to help Botswana, which was taking the lead for its people and for all of Africa.
Dr Soon-Shiong said through its devoted fight against HIV/AIDS as well as managing to combat and reverse the negative impacts of HIV on its people and the economy, Botswana had shown the world its potential,.

“The strategies that were used in combating the HIV pandemic will equally work in fighting COVID-19. We could do that for cancer and tuberculosis as well,” he said.

Dr Soon-Shiong said his company recently opened a vaccine manufacturing plant in Cape Town, South Africa.

The day before his meeting with President Masisi, Dr Soon-Shiong had toured the Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub.

Meanwhile, an Office of the President media release says the visit was expected to conclude Dr Soon-Shiong’s roadmap for investing in Botswana.

According to the release, NantWorks Botswana and NantWorks signed a Memorandum of Understanding on December 14 last year with Botswana agreeing to initiate the transfer of biological manufacturing technology for COVID-19 and cancer vaccines and next generation cell based immunotherapies.

It says the agreement covers improving small stock health management systems and sustainable water generation at Lobu Farm in Kgalagadi District as well as assisting in the development of the Maun science park. Ends