NEWS

Africa will be first to manufacture ‘COVID-19 Vaccine’ —-Nana Akufo-Addo assures

Africa will be first to manufacture ‘COVID-19 Vaccine’ —-Nana Akufo-Addo assures

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has established the need for African countries to join forces in developing Coronavirus vaccine in Africa.

According to him, scientists at the University of Ghana have successfully sequenced genomes of the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic and stressed the need to establish framework for sustainable vaccine manufacturing in Africa.

Speaking in a televised address to the nation yesterday in Accra, the President revealed that the scientists had already obtained important information about the genetic composition of viral strains in 15 of the confirmed cases in the country.

He lauded the efforts of the scientists, saying “this is a significant milestone in Ghana’s response to the pandemic.”

Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the efforts of the scientists would go a long way to strengthen surveillance for tracking mutations of the virus, stressing that it would aid in the tracing of the sources of community infections in people with no known contact with confirmed cases.

The Ghanaian scientific community, he reiterated deserved warm applause for their advance and contribution to global knowledge of the novel coronavirus.

“Their work makes us proud to be Ghanaian, and, who knows, God may work through them to discover a vaccine,” the President added.

He observed that it would be a triumph, since the recent genomic characterisation of African Coronaviruses by the local scientists illustrated the need for advance African-led partnerships to drive scientific innovations for the control of viral diseases by vaccination.

Ghana, recognising this critical public health tool, Nana Akufo-Addo promised to support the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative, which is chaired by Noguchi’s Professor William Ampofo.

He said the country would endeavour help in promoting the agenda for vaccine development and manufacturing in Africa by African scientists which would be transported to other part of the world.

BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE

Joyceline Natally Cudjoe

An Entertainment Columnist, Content Writer, Blogger, Novelist, Poet, and a Publicist. For business or story tip off, contact me on +233 24 646 6866 or email: [email protected]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button