SO, for those of you who missed it yesterday, here is a breaking news message, especially for Rachael Mwikali in Kenya and for all nurses and doctors of Africa.
Since you are a nurse fighting COVID-19 everyday of your life, I want to share it with you here, and thank you for all you and your colleagues are doing.
Two things happened this week on Monday March 29 2021, which bring closer to ending this pandemic in Africa:
lAn African company called Aspen Pharmacare, based in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, began to produce the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Yes, they will be producing one million doses per day, or 250 million per year.
These are single dose vaccines.
On Monday, (South African President Cyril) Ramaphosa officially commissioned the manufacturing plant. You can see it on Sasai Watch. I had the privilege of being invited to witness and speak at the event. In my case, it was virtual.
I had wanted to go, but I was too busy doing what you will see in number two.
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lKnowing that Africa was now in a position to produce a vaccine, my colleagues and I wanted to make sure that the company received an order to supply all African countries.
So, guess what? We placed an order for 400 million doses! This will cost almost US$4 billion, and we have already provided the first US$2 billion.
Mwikali, your country Kenya ordered 20 million doses! I had to sign the order in my capacity as Africa Union special envoy.
Something like this takes months and months of work.
The team of us working on this — which includes Dr John Nkengasong, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, Dr Vera Songwe, the head of United Nations (UN) Economic Commission for Africa and a UN assistant secretary-general and professor Benedict Oramah, head of the Afreximbank, met everyday, sometimes even on weekends, for more than six months!
With us were more than 20 experts in banking, legal and virology (scientists on viruses) assigned to work on the project.
Now Africa is manufacturing its own vaccine!
This is how we fix this!
Now I know that some people don’t want to hear about vaccines. And I will never try to persuade them, and certainly don’t want anyone to force people to take them.
Last night, we were back at work, meeting as we have done everyday, and will do until this thing is defeated.
It is not the time we spend in the news headlines that matters, but the time we spend working to fix something that matters.
Strive Masiyiwa, African Union special envoy for COVID-19
