CoDA: Experts Canvass Funding Of Research For Vaccine Production By Africa

BY AMOS DUNIA, IN BENIN – It was a prospective solutions finding and setting of achievable targets as stakeholders made up of professors in different fields gathered and brainstormed at a Webinar organized and hosted by the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA), at the Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.

The institution is also hosting the official launch of the CoDA Independent Taskforce On Equitable and Universal Access To Vaccines and Vaccination scheduled to take place on Monday, June 21, 2021.

One of the participants t the Webinar, former Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Professor Arthur Mutambara did not minced words as he pointedly called for the implementation of the 2001 Abuja Declaration earlier agreed upon by African leaders to fund healthcare with a minimum of 15 percent of countries’ annual budget.

Significantly, African governments on April 27, 2001, resolved and pledged to allocate at a minimum of 15 per cent of their annual budgets to the health sector. This pledge became known as the Abuja Declaration.

In his remarks at the CoDA Webinar, Mutambara, who is a professor of Robotics and Mechatronics stressed the need for Africa to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its people by funding research and development for the production of vaccines within the continent.

Mutambara, who spoke on the topic; “Vaccine Research and Development in Africa: Perspectives From Academia”, preparatory to the formal launch of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA) Independent Taskforce On Equitable and Universal Access To Vaccines and Vaccination, said that a key lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is the urgent need for Africa to stop depending on others for funding of its healthcare.

According to him; “With Africa representing a $1.3 billion market for vaccines with potentials of the market value rising to $5 billion by 2030, the African continent can attract investments and useful partnerships to break the cycle of waiting on international bodies to fund vaccination and other health programmes.

He continued; “African governments must incentivise and create an enabling environment for the private sector to invest in research and development, to invest in the manufacture of vaccine and roll out.

“African governments must clearly articulate and demonstrate the internal investment for business players, so that the private sector can come in and put in money foe vaccine research and development, manufacture and roll out of vaccination.

“This is how we can break the over dependence on the GAVI Alliance, the Global Fund and the West in general,” Mutambara said.

In his own contribution, the Chief Medical Director of the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital, Prof  Godwin Bazuaye, assured that his institution is determined and prepared to operate the ‘centre of excellence’ in collaboration with the CoDA taskforce on equitable vaccination, adding that as part of its commitment, it has set up a committee to commence action.

Speaking in turn on funding the production of vaccines by Africans for Africans, renown International Economics and Development expert, Prof Sylvain Boko, said the private sector can raise the estimated $250 to make the continental vaccine production a reality.

In the words of Boko; “During the meeting of the taskforce held yesterday (Saturday), it was said that from perspectives of global dimensions, you only need $250 to $300 million to start production of vaccines.

“What people tell us in Africa is that this is an insurmountable figure to raise in order to start the research and development, as well as the production of vaccines. But, if you consider this, raising $250 million by the whole of Africa, when you look at the resources in the private sector controls in Nigeria, South-Africa, Ghana, Kenya and other parts of Africa, can we not raise N250 million”?

Similarly, the President of the Pan-African Manufacturers, Mr. Ahmed Mansur said Africans must lead initiatives to solve the challenges within the continent, adding that the people of the continent need to solve the problem of Africa not having the capacity to manufacture vaccines and many other products on a large scale.

Also speaking, another panelist, Dr. Phillip Onyebujoh noted that Africa has strategic advantages more than any other part of the world for successfully combining the business of vaccine production with the provision of healthcare services for the wellbeing of the people.

Onyebujoh, who is a health systems expert, noted that the position of earlier speakers who described Africa as being able to attract the needed investments, due to the positive economic projections the continent has received remain key and germane.