African Union - The African Mirror

Jan

2021

Africa begins vaccines, Tanzania told to trust science

GEORGE OBULUTSA Some African nations have begun administering vaccines against COVID-19, regional health officials said, though Tanzania's dissenting president was singled out for his trust in alternative remedies and God. John Nkengasong, director of the African Union (AU) bloc's disease control and prevention body, said a few countries had begun vaccinating: Morocco, Egypt, Seychelles and Guinea. "Guinea is very limited, just about 50 to 60 vaccinations have occurred. But these other countries have started mainly with the vaccine from China," he told an online briefing. In addition to 270 million doses previously secured, the AU has signed an agreement with…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Ramaphosa urges businesses to contribute financially to vaccine Africa’s rollout

BUSINESS

AFRICAN Union (AU) Chair Cyril Ramaphosa has called on African companies and foreign companies that do business in Africa to contribute financially to the continent's efforts to roll out COVID-19 vaccines. Ramaphosa, South Africa's president, added during an AU webinar that telecoms firm MTN had offered to donate $25 million to the vaccine programme of the AU's disease control body to immunise healthcare workers.

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Zambia allocated 8.7-million AU vaccines

COVID-19

ZAMBIA has been allocated 8.7 million doses of the 270 million COVID-19 vaccines secured this month by the African Union (AU), and this may rise to 25 million doses by December 2021, the Zambian mission at the AU has said. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who serves as AU chair, has said the vaccines secured by the AU will be supplied by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, through the Serum Institute of India, and Johnson & Johnson. They will be allocated according to countries' population size. "If member states have to buy individually, they have to wait until July 2022, but through this…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

EXCLUSIVE – COVID-19 shots to cost $3 to $10 in Africa

COVID-19

DAVID LEWIS and ALEXANDER WINNING AFRICAN countries will pay between $3 and $10 per vaccine dose to access 270 million COVID-19 shots secured this month by the African Union (AU), according to a draft briefing on the plan prepared by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and provided to Reuters. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who serves as AU chair, said last week arrangements had been made with the bank to support member states who want access to vaccines. Countries can pay back the loans in instalments over five to seven years, the document showed. Afreximbank's press office declined to answer…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria requests 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses

COVID-19

FELIX ONUAH NIGERIA has written to the African Union to request 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to supplement the COVAX programme and has allocated $26 million for licensed vaccine production, the health minister said yesterday. Nigeria, like other countries across Africa, is grappling with a second wave of the novel coronavirus. As of Monday, Nigeria, the continent's most populous country of 200 million inhabitants, had 110,387 confirmed cases and 1,435 deaths. The African Union has secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from manufacturers for member states, its chair South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said last week. "Nigeria has…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

How African vaccines will be allocated

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING MILLIONS of coronavirus vaccine doses secured by the African Union (AU) will be allocated according to countries' population size, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced. Ramaphosa, who is the current AU chairman, said on Wednesday that vaccines from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca would be available this year, but he did not specify how much each African country would get. No African countries have begun large-scale coronavirus vaccination campaigns and the AU's 270 million shots, if administered two per person, would still only cover around 10% of the continent's 1.3 billion people. "The Africa CDC has…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Vaccines due in weeks or months not yet Africa’s way out of pandemic, officials say

COVID-19

VACCINES are not yet Africa's way out of the pandemic as it may be weeks or even months before first doses start to arrive, health officials said, after the African Union (AU) secured 270 million doses for the continent where about 30,000 a day are becoming infected. Africa has not started vaccinations and there is concern that more prosperous regions are getting an unfair head start in the global fight against COVID-19. Africa's second coronavirus wave is infecting twice as many people per day as the height of the first wave last year, and has not peaked, John Nkengasong, director…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

AFRICA SECURES 270 MILLION COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES

COVID-19

THE African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team has secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for African countries, South African President and African Union (AU) chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed. Ramaphosa said the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), which he established after the outbreak of COVID-19, has reported that 50-million of the 270-million doses would be made available for the crucial period of April to June 2021. The vaccines would be supplied by Pfizer, AstraZeneca (through an independent licensee, Serum Institute of India) and Johnson & Johnson. Ramaphosa said that the AU efforts complemented the COVAX facility, a World…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan’s Darfur to end

NEWS

MICHELLE NICHOLS A joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur region will end on December 31, the U.N. Security Council has decided, more than 13 years after it established the operation. The 15-member Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that terminates the mandate for the mission, known as UNAMID, at the end of the month and outlines a six-month drawdown of troops with a complete withdrawal by June 30. According to the U.N. website of the peacekeeping mission, there are currently some 4,000 troops, 480 police advisers, 1,631 police, 483 international civilian staff and 945 national…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

African Union chair pays tribute to the Prime Minister of eSwatini

COVID-19

CYRIL Ramaphosa, the Chair of the African Union and President of South Africa, has paid a warm tribute to Ambrose Dlamini, the Prime Minister of eSwatini who has become the first sitting head of state or government to succumb to COVID-19. Ramaphosa expressed his deep condolences to the government and people of the Kingdom of eSwatini. Dlamini (52) passed away on Sunday, during treatment for COVID-19 in a South African hospital.. Ramaphosa said: “Today, all South Africans and compatriots across our continent bow our heads in sadness at the passing of a leader who took pride in leading and representing…