AfDB president calls for global vaccine solidarity for Africa

President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has called for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine justice for Africa.

In a statement sent to Xinhua in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub on Tuesday, Adesina decried the lack of COVID-19 vaccines reaching Africa.

“We need global solidarity and vaccine justice for Africa,” said Adesina in a statement released by the AfDB.

He underlined the stark disparities between vaccine acquisitions by several rich countries that have acquired sufficient vaccines to inoculate their populations twice over and African countries that remain primarily dependent on the World Health Organisation’s COVAX initiative for the minuscule quantities of vaccines acquired so far.

“We are way off the mark in terms of getting to 60 percent of herd immunity, and sadly, I do not see that happening for another year or two at this rate,” he said.

“We, therefore, need to improve Africa’s access to vaccines.

“COVAX is doing a great job but still, we need more.

“We need them in adequate quantities.

“We need them quickly, and we need them at an affordable price,” he added.