FRANKFURT, May 29 (Reuters) - COVID-19 vaccine maker BioNTech won up to $145 million in funding from a global coalition against infectious diseases to build a production network in African countries for messenger-RNA based shots.

BioNTech and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) said in a joint statement on Wednesday that the financial support is part of an expanded partnership as the German biotech firm builds an mRNA vaccine factory site in Rwanda's capital of Kigali.

A future African network could produce affordable vaccines to fight malaria, mpox, tuberculosis, or other health threats, they added. (Reporting by Ludwig Burger Editing by Madeline Chambers)