The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has listed Nigeria and South Africa among nations being considered by Africa, in conjunction with the European Union and other partners, to create regional vaccine manufacturing hubs on the continent.
Okonjo-Iweala stated that regional production hubs would offer a more promising path to preparedness for a future health crisis.
Rwandan President, Mr Paul Kagame, also confirmed at the Qatar Economic Forum that Senegal, Rwanda, and South Africa were in talks with investors to start the production of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa.
The continent of 1.3 billion people has fully vaccinated only about one per cent of its people against COVID-19 even as some wealthier countries have inoculated enough of their citizens to begin reopening their economies.