Just In: Nigeria to get COVID-19 vaccine January 2021, says Okonjo-Iweala

Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has assured Nigeria and other African countries of access to COVID-19 vaccines from the end of January through the first quarter of 2021, a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.

The statement quoted Okonjo-Iweala as disclosing this after a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in Abuja.

“As long as one person has it in the world, no one is safe. And that is why poorer countries, lower-middle-income countries like Nigeria, need to get it as quickly as possible,” she was quoted as saying.

Okonjo-Iweala is currently the African Union Special Envoy on mobilising international economic support for the continental fight against COVID-19 and Nigeria’s candidate for the Office of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization.

She disclosed that the international initiative involved the World Health Organisation, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, GAVI, and the international community, to get vaccines delivered to developing and poorer countries, in an affordable manner and quickly.

According to her, the Pfizer vaccine and the AstraZeneca were presently being negotiated so that poor countries don’t have to stand in a queue behind rich countries.

The former finance minister described Africans as blessed, for not having the same incidence rate of COVID-19 as other continents, but warned African nations against complacency.

Okonjo-Iweala recalled that a platform called the COVAX facility had been developed with 186 countries on board, saying that the side interested in serving the poor countries had 92 countries, for which resources have been raised to try and get the vaccines to them quickly.

“So, the Pfizer vaccine, the AstraZeneca, those are being negotiated now so that poor countries don’t have to stand in line behind rich countries.

“So, we hope they are starting by the end of January. We will be able to reach these countries, including most of the African countries, Nigeria included, will be able to get access to some of these vaccines.

“Initially, it will be for frontline health workers, followed by some other target groups – older people, those with underlying conditions, and then, from there, the rest of the population. I think the COVAX facility can cover maybe 20-23 per cent of the population by the end of next year,” Okonjo-Iweala said


Discover more from LN247

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Advertisement

Most Popular This Week

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More from Author

Advertisement

Read Now

The June 12 Story: See What happened That Day

32 years after the annulment of what was tagged the fairest election in Nigeria’s history, lormer military head of state, Ibrahim Babangida has now acknowledged that the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, MKO Abiola, won the June 12, 1993 election. Babangida, who annulled the election, acknowledged this...

EU Drives Private Sector Investments to Boost Nigeria’s Digital Economy

The European Union (EU) is actively engaging with private sector players in Nigeria to foster investments that will accelerate the country’s digital transformation. At a recent meeting in Lagos, the EU outlined its commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital economy through public-private partnerships. The EU-Nigeria Digital Economy Package, aligned...

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan: Three Times She Stood Up Against Bullying

On Thursday, 20th of February 2025, Senate President Godwill Akpabio called for security on the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, after a heated argument over seating arrangements during plenary. The disagreement escalated, causing disruptions in the proceedings, as Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the Peoples Democratic...

Discover more from LN247

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading