The World Health Organisation says it has selected Nigeria and five other African countries to begin their own mRNA vaccine production.
A statement from the WHO listed other countries selected as the first recipients of technology from the WHO’s global mRNA vaccine hub as Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Its Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, announced the first six countries that will receive the technology needed to produce mRNA vaccines on the African continent at the African Union – European Union summit in Brussels.
The announcement was made at a ceremony hosted by the European Council, France, South Africa, and WHO in the presence of President Macron, President Ramaphosa, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Tedros called for equitable access to vaccines in order to beat the pandemic, and rails against the way wealthy nations have hogged doses, leaving Africa lagging behind other continents in the global vaccination effort.
Reacting, President Cyril Ramaphosa, of South Africa said, “This is an initiative that will allow us to make our own vaccines and that, to us, is very important. It means mutual respect, mutual recognition of what we can all bring to the party, investment in our economies, infrastructure investment and, in many ways, giving back to the continent.”
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