Venezuela funding Cuban biotech plants in Africa

Venezuela funding Cuban biotech plants in Africa



CUBA STANDARD — Cuba began construction of the third of three biotech

plants in West Africa this week, as part of a trilateral program funded

by Venezuela to battle malaria in the region.



Ahead of a groundbreaking ceremony in the capital of Ghana on Aug. 5,

officials of Cuba, Venezuela and the Economic Community of West African

States (ECOWAS) met to discuss feasibility, cost, and investment

architecture of the program, ECOWAS said in a press release. Another

meeting is planned for Venezuela.



Venezuela, Cuba and African countries as well as ECOWAS have been

negotiating the creation of a multilateral fund for cooperation on

health, education, agriculture, energy and infrastructure.



The ceremony in Accra was attended by the president and health minister

of Ghana, as well as the president of the ECOWAS Commission.



Under a malaria elimination campaign administered by ECOWAS, Cuba is in

charge of building and operating biolarvicide plants in Ghana, Nigeria

and Ivory Coast. A biolarvicide developed by Cuban state company

Labiofam is central to the campaign. Malaria kills thousands of Africans

every year, producing a negative economic impact of $12 billion.



The facility in Accra is the third of three plants Cuba is setting up in

the region. Under an agreement signed with the government of Ghana in

2011, state company Grupo Empresarial Labiofam is expanding a

malaria-fighting program begun in 2006 around Accra to the entire country.



Labiofam has already built two biolarvicide plants in Port Harcourt,

Nigeria, and in Côte d'Ivoire that will supply the ECOWAS program in

those markets.



A similar Cuban plant just built in Tanzania is partially funded by

South Africa.



Labiofam exports Cuba-made biolarvicides Bactivec and GriselESF to a

dozen developing countries; the company also set up a joint venture

manufacturing facility in Brazil.



Source: "Venezuela funding Cuban biotech plants in Africa « Cuba

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