The Coalition of Dialogue in Africa, CoDA Independent Task Team on Development of Vaccines in Africa is set to begin the development of vaccines.
The was disclosed by the Executive Director of the Coalition, Ms Souad Aden-Usman, at a press briefing ahead of the launch of the Task Team on Equitable, Universal Access to Essential Vaccines and Vaccinations in Africa.
She said the initiative which was going to be launched on Monday, would question why Africa has not launched a vaccine yet and how to address it.
She explained that CoDA, which was established by the African Union, aims to take on board the interest of stakeholders in policy making.
Limited Access to Vaccine
She said that access to vaccines by African countries has been limited because of the almost total dependence on foreign countries for their human vaccine supplies.
“Africa should come up with its own solution and stop being at the receiving end of everything. We seem to be consumers of every ideas, concepts, definitions, medications, vaccines, everything. So, anyone out there can bring something and it will be considered to be of good standard for African consumption,” Ms Aden-Usman said.
According to her, Africa needs to come together and take responsibility for the continent.
“We are actually recognising fully that the international community does not have to take responsibility for what is happening in our continent and we cannot make everything a charity case. We cannot make everything that is important to us, what cripples our economy cannot be dealt with on a moral issues basis.
“We keep saying that until and unless the private sector is put at the centre of this, we are not going to get out of the woods,” she explained.
The CoDA Director added that Africa has the capacity to take its destiny into its own hands and the coalition was ready to see that happen.
Also speaking, the President of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, Mr. Ahmed Munsur, said the private sector has a critical role to play in vaccine development in Africa.
He said that Africa might be in a serious trouble if it does not find a way of improving the supply of not just vaccines, medical facilities, respirators, basic medicine in an equitable manner.
“The reason is that Africa has tended to rely and depend on other nations and other regions even for the most basic of inputs,” Mr. Ahmed Munsur said.
Similarly, another member of the coalition, Mr. Ben Ayere, said that Covid-19 took the world by storm and the CoDA initiative was to ensure Africa produces its own vaccine for equitable distribution to all.
In April 2021, the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) convened a meeting on equitable access to vaccines and vaccination in Africa involving scientists, researchers, community and religious leaders, media, civil society, youth, and the private sector.
Participants emphasised the need for investments by the African private sector in research, manufacturing, and distribution of vaccines, to increase access to essential vaccines and vaccinations across the continent.
Following the meeting, CoDA established an independent task team of senior African and non-African experts which in partnership with the African Health Business, African Research Universities Alliance, Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital, and other stakeholders will facilitate implementation of the initiative.
Objective of the Task Team
The main objective of the task team is to support the African Union in its efforts to enable the participation of African private sector and civil society, through established African Union policy instruments, in generating demand for and enabling manufacturing and distribution of essential vaccines on the continent.
Confidence Okwuchi
