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The African Export and Import Bank, AFREXIM says it plans a facility that will deliver 40 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria over a short period of time.
Spokesman to Nigeria’s Vice President, Laolu Akande said in a release that tge President of the bank, Professor Benedict Oramah stated this on Tuesday when he led from financial institution to a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Oramah said that the bank was committed to ensuring that the continent achieved herd immunity by vaccinating about 60% of Africa’s population against the disease.
Accordung to Oramah, AFREXIM is investing in trade and health infrastructure, and is also involved in the procurement and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to African countries including Nigeria, to enable the continent achieve herd immunity.
The bank is also planning to establish National Quality Assurance Centres in parts of the country in order to support and upgrade export of commodities from Nigeria.
In his presentation on some of the bank’s projects across Nigeria, Prof. Oramah said that AFREXIM has plans of investing in important sectors of the Nigerian economy including health.
He cited plans to build a world class tertiary hospital and health park in Abuja.
He said the 500-bed state-of-the-art hospital will be developed in collaboration with Kings College Hospital in the UK, and other partners.
After receiving a brief from the delegation, Professor Osinbajo commended the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM) for its efforts in stimulating and developing African trade, including its many engagements in Nigeria.
The Vice President expressed satisfaction with the work done by the bank and the interest shown in areas such as health infrastructure, trade facilitation and tourism, among others.
Osinbajo said the planned quality assurance centres across Nigeria is important because “one of the problems we have had with our exports is really this problem of quality assurance and making sure that we have the facilities to test our export products and get all of our agencies working together.
“I am sure that you have SON, NAFDAC, and all of our agencies working with you on this project.”
While thanking the bank for its support, Prof. Osinbajo noted that the Federal Government’s programmes in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector, particularly in the Shared Facility Initiative under the National MSMEs Clinic, are important and deserving of AFREXIM’s backing.
He said the initiative which was implemented in collaboration with state governments and aimed at developing manufacturing clusters across the country, could be enhanced through partnership with the bank.
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, announced in June this year that Nigeria was expecting 29 million Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines between June and July, and last week, Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) announced the arrival of the first batch of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the country.
Lateefah Ibrahim
