BUA purchases one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Nigeria

One of Africa’s largest food and infrastructure conglomerates, BUA Group, has acquired one million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines for Nigeria.

The company, which disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the vaccines would be delivered to the country next Monday.

It added that the vaccines would be distributed to Nigerians free.

The vaccines were procured by BUA through the AFREXIM Vaccine programme in partnership with CACOVID.

The conglomerate is founded by a billionaire businessman, Abdul Samad Rabiu.

The statement read: “These doses of the vaccine which should be delivered by next week will be the first delivery of vaccines to Nigeria since the COVID-19 vaccines became available.”

READ ALSO: BUA Cement raises N115bn debt through bond issue

Rabiu thanked the President of the Afrexim Bank, Dr. Benedict Oramah, for making the purchase of the vaccines possible.

He also commended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, for coordinating the process through the CACOVID Private Sector partnership.

He said: “BUA decided to secure these one million vaccines by paying the full amount for the vaccines today (Monday) because these vaccines became available only last week through AFREXIM.

“We expect the vaccines to be delivered within the next 14 days and hope priority will be given to our frontline workers who have committed their lives to managing the pandemic.

“In addition to this, BUA is committing to purchase five million doses for Nigeria as soon as they become available through this same arrangement.”

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