The donation will help secure up to seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for health workers around the continent and contribute to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination initiative (Africa CDC).
According to Ralph Mupita, MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer, “COVID-19’s destructive effect was unparalleled and profound. Public and private collaborations are needed if we are to succeed in fighting the pandemic and to restore our continent and our societies to social and economic standards.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chairman of the African Union, declared that on behalf of its Member States, the African Union had secured provisional COVID-19 vaccine doses of 270 million through an advance procurement pledge guarantee of up to US$ 2 billion to the African Export-Import Bank for manufacturers.
This was a significant step in efforts to ensure equal access for the people of Africa to the COVID-19 vaccine. However, with a population of around 1.3 billion, in order to achieve at least 60 percent herd immunity, Africa needs several more doses. In order to help the continent achieve its aim, donations from private organisations, such as MTN, are therefore necessary.
“Our priority is to ensure that all those in need of the COVID-19 vaccine have access to the vaccine very quickly, but the greatest challenge in Africa has been the financing of vaccines and the size of vaccination logistics. Therefore, we welcome the right collaborations to achieve our minimum 60 percent vaccination goal, such as the one with MTN.’ Dr John Nkengasong, CDC Africa Chief, said in a statement.
“We agree that continued cooperation with key stakeholders across industries is important because vaccines are implemented in all our markets, and communication resources, technology and digital services are crucial support infrastructure for an effective program of mass vaccination. MTN Group will look at similar support commitments for the markets in which we operate in the Middle East in the coming months,” said Ralph Mupita, MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer.