Africa CDC commends China over partnership in vaccine manufacturing

Ahmed Ogwell Ouma (Front), the acting director of Africa CDC, delivers a speech on the sidelines of the launch of the Savings Lives and Livelihood for the southern African region in Lusaka, Zambia, on Nov. 11, 2022. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Friday commended China for partnering with African countries in the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines on the continent. (Xinhua/Martin Mbangweta)

LUSAKA, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Friday commended China for partnering with African countries in the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines on the continent.

Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, the acting director of Africa CDC, said the partnership with countries such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco has provided the continent with alternative sources of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly at the height of the pandemic in the middle of 2021.

He said that the partnership has enabled the continent to have the vaccines locally, hence reducing the need for the transportation of vaccines from outside the continent.

He also commended China for being one of the countries that supported the continent through the donation of vaccines since the start of the vaccination programs.

The official was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Savings Lives and Livelihood for the southern African region, an initiative of the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, an international non-governmental organization working in the area of reducing gender and economic inequality and expanding access to quality education, among others.

The Africa CDC official said the launch was meant to link the 10 countries in the southern African region and motivate them to use the momentum to increase the vaccination rate.

He said similar launches will be done in the other four regions in Africa with the purpose of ensuring the vaccination of about 70 percent of the eligible 1.3 billion people on the continent by the end of 2022.

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema commended the two organizations for partnering in the initiative meant to increase vaccination rates against the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.

He said the initiative will go a long way in ensuring that the continent achieves herd immunity in its vaccination drive in order to save the lives of people.