Rwanda has been included on the list of African countries in the frame to be a regional Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing hub, APA learnt on Monday.
According to Dr Ngozi Ikonjo Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Rwanda is vying for the position with Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
The vaccine manufacturing hub will be set up with the partnership of the European Union among other partners, she said.
“We have now seen that over-centralization of vaccine production capacity is incompatible with equitable access in a crisis situation,” she noted, citing the essence of regional production hubs.
“Regional production hubs, in tandem with open supply chains, offer a more promising path to preparedness for future health crisis.”
More recently Rwandan President Paul Kagame has warned of the global economic consequences of delayed vaccination in Africa.
According to Kagame, delaying the vaccination of the poorest countries could undermine decades of progress in human development, while investing in vaccination for all would benefit international trade in the near future.
Given the current market structure, he says, African countries will need the active support from the world’s major powers to gain access to vaccines at fair prices.
CU/as/APA