President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has described as sad, Africa’s scramble for COVID-19 vaccines for its people.
He says, the inability of countries on the continent to manufacture their own vaccines and the struggle to develop diagnostic test kits when COVID-19 was first recorded in Africa, is a clear indication that more needs to be done to boost quality healthcare delivery in Africa in the face of the pandemic.
Addressing the Pan African Parliament in South Africa, the Ghanaian leader said Africa should learn a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One thing about the pandemic of COVID-19 is that we must hasten the process of regional and continental intervention because acting together will boost our capacity to succeed. From our inability to make our own diagnostic test to the scramble of vaccines and to the shocks that our economy has suffered, it has resulted in the recession of the continent”, he said.
Nana Akufo-Addo particularly asked for support for countries like South Africa, Rwanda, Senegal, Ghana, and others in the manufacturing of vaccines for the continent.
“It is obvious that we need each other, and more so in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. We must develop our capacity to produce our own vaccines so that we can more effectively deal with future pandemics and not be dependent on foreign supplies and benevolence for the protection of our people.”
Ghana selected as a manufacturing hub
President Akufo-Addo during his 24th COVID-19 address to the nation announced that the government has established a committee to formulate a concrete plan for vaccine development and manufacturing in Ghana.
Ghana stands tall in the selection of African countries for the possible manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, the European Union (EU) has said.
Vice President of the EU, Valdis Dombrovskis, made the disclosure during President Akufo-Addo’s two-day working visit to Brussels in Belgium.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Jubilee House on Friday, May 21, 2021.
“At the meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission indicated the selection of Ghana as a possible manufacturing hub for COVID-19 vaccines in Africa,” the statement added.
The expected selection of the West-African country follows initiatives already taken by the government of Ghana towards the domestic manufacturing of vaccines.
Two task force teams from the EU and Ghana will meet shortly to discuss modalities towards the realization of the initiative.
It was stated that the move if successful could get support from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
