Rwanda & S. Africa to Begin Development and Manufacture of Covid-19 Vaccine in Africa
In a meeting between the African Union, the African CDC, and the Africa Heads of state, they discussed the preparedness of the continent in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gathogo Wanjiru 
Being faced by what is termed as vaccine nationalization and export restrictions on pharmaceutical products, the Heads of State are feeling there is `a need to have an African-based solution.
South Africa and Rwanda have already taken a bold step towards the manufacturing of the Covid-19 vaccine. The two countries have entered into a partnership with some of the world’s covid-19 makers i.e. Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna to begin vaccine production in their countries.
“We will start production of 220 million doses in a deal with Johnson and Johnson,” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame also said they are in talks with Moderna and Pfizer BionTech for the production of the covid-19 vaccines.
African Nations have been receiving the Covid-19 vaccines from the UNICEF but given that the pandemic is ravaging the vaccine-producing countries, they have limited the export and imposed bans on vaccines, therefore, giving a priority to their citizens.
World Health Organization (WHO) boss is appealing to the world pharmaceutical companies to share their knowledge on vaccine production.
The AU virtual meeting brought together the WHO bosses, Presidents from Rwanda, S. Africa, Senegal, and Congo.
Africa’s nations are citing inadequate capital, lack of standards of quality for such products, technological challenges among other parameters as factors that have made the continent lag behind in vaccine production.
