Thursday, April 15, 2021 – Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has asked African countries to start producing vaccines in the continent and stop relying on aid from developed nations.
Speaking on Thursday, Raila, who is also the High Representative for Infrastructure Development at the African Union Commission, said a country like Kenya can easily be the pharmaceutical and biotechnology hub of East Africa if it invests in research.
“Climate Change is causing new and lethal diseases, so we need to act with speed,” Raila said.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), Africa sits on the sidelines of the vaccination drive against Covid-19.
The continent has so far been the least affected by the pandemic.
So far, it has recorded over 4.3 million cases which include about 114,000 deaths.
Raila‘s sentiments come hours after The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations signed a memorandum of understanding to build 5 centers to boost African vaccine research and development as well as manufacturing.
The 5 centers which will be built in the next 10-15 years will be located in the north, south, east, west, and central Africa.
E! News Blog
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