Nigeria to partner WHO on manufacturing, supply of COVID-19 vaccines – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday, Nigeria would continue to partner with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other countries to ensure accelerated manufacturing and unhindered supply of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa.

The President gave the assurance in his address at the virtual session of the African Union (AU) meeting anchored from the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the importance of immunising 60 percent of people on the continent with safe and secure vaccines cannot be over-emphasised.

President Buhari applauded the decision of AU to establish the COVID-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Capacity to accelerate the financing and procurement of vaccines for the continent.

He said: “We continue to appreciate the remarkable progress by the team with respect to securing a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccines doses for Africa along with Africa Medical Supply platform and other laudable initiatives already in place.

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“In my capacity as ECOWAS Champion on COVID-19, Nigeria has provided logistics support, including the freight in of critical COVID-19 medical supplies distributed to other ECOWAS member states.

“At the national level and in the fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak in Nigeria, we prioritise the vulnerable, including women, children, older persons and the unemployed in our efforts to provide medical and social assistance to mitigate the socio-economic effects of the disease.

“I will like to stress that Nigeria is committed to working with other member states in the spirit of regional cooperation and solidarity to promote human health and general wellbeing.

“We will continue to partner with the World Health Organisation, the African Centre for Disease Control and West African Health Organisation as well as other countries to ensure accelerated development and manufacturing as well as unhindered supply of safe and effective coronavirus vaccines to all Africans.”

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