African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs Amira Elfadel says the Union is currently in negotiations with manufactures of the covid-19 vaccine for possible acquisition for member states that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
Ms Elfadel said the Commission was urgently implementing its vaccine strategy, that would result in the acquisition and financing of the COVID vaccine, in order to fully control the spread of the virus on the continent.
Speaking during the ground breaking ceremony and unveiling of the Africa Centre for Disease Control-CDC- Building Project, Phase 1, the Commissioner said while recognizing that the Continent has made remarkable progress in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa needed to take appropriate measures, to secure timely access to COVID-19 vaccines.
She requested for support from cooperating partners like China in acquiring the COVID-19 vaccines for Member states of the African Union.
And Head of the Chinese Mission to the African Union, Ambassador Lui Yuxi said China attached great importance to the existing relations with the African Union.
He said the construction of the CDC in Ethiopia was a symbol of the unwavering support that the Chinese Government attached to Africa.
Mr Lui said the COVID -19 pandemic had negatively impacted the social economic development of many countries hence his government decision to assist Africa in acquiring COVID materials to ease the impact of the pandemic.
He said once the construction of the headquarters was done, his government would replicate the same in regional centres like Zambia that are hosting the CDC.
Recently the African Union established the COVID-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) as a component in support of the Africa Vaccine Strategy that was endorsed by the AU Bureau of Heads of State and Government on 20th of August, 2020.
This is contained in a statement issued by Inutu Mupango Mwanza First Secretary-Press /Tourisma Zambia Embassy, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
