South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday (May 12) called on international organizations supporting Covid-19 vaccination to start sourcing vaccines made in Africa, as a South African group announced it was at risk of put an end to their production due to a lack of orders.
“International agencies that have received a lot of money for the purchase and supply of vaccines for developing countries do not buy vaccines manufactured by African pharmaceutical companies, even for vaccines that are intended for African countries”Mr. Ramaphosa lamented during a virtual world summit on the Covid-19. “This, ladies and gentlemen, must change”he argued in a speech at the second international summit on Covid-19 chaired by US President Joe Biden.
At the beginning of May, the South African pharmaceutical giant Aspen, which started producing and marketing anti-Covid-19 vaccines in South Africa after an agreement with the American Johnson & Johnson, announced that it risked to end the project for lack of orders.
South Africa and India have led a battle for equal access to vaccines and a suspension of intellectual property rights to allow the local manufacture of doses at lower cost. Aspen had signed an agreement in November 2021 with Johnson & Johnson for the manufacture of doses “in Africa for Africa”. The World Health Organization (WHO) called the deal a “major development” in access to vaccines.
A vaccination rate of only 15.8%
Africa, with a population of 1.3 billion, is the region with the lowest immunity to Covid-19 in the world with a vaccination rate of only 15.8%. First in lack of doses, the continent is also faced with vaccine skepticism on the part of the population. The WHO said Thursday that South Africa was currently recording a surge in cases of contamination, with an increase of 32% this week compared to the previous week.
“International agencies as well as humanitarian organizations must source vaccines from African manufacturers so that development capacity on the continent is retained”Mr. Ramaphosa said. “Vaccines produced in Africa must be obtained in Africa and for the people in Africa. This is vital for the health security of the continent today and tomorrow”he concluded.
To not miss any African news, subscribe to the newsletter of “World Africa” from this link. Every Saturday at 6 a.m., find a week of news and debates covered by the editorial staff of the “World Africa”.