The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the African Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC), has made the selection, which Adelheid Onyango, director of universal health coverage for the International Health Organization, will improve capacity regulations in the region.
The latter, Onyango said, through the African Medicines Agency established last year.
For his part, Africa CDC acting director Ahmed Ogwell stated that the installation of the facilities will prepare the continent for future pandemics, quoted by Amref Health Africa, which is believed to be the largest international non-governmental organization dedicated to the health of native Africans, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
He specified that the center is attracting the attention of countries interested in manufacturing these medicines but who do not yet have the facilities, while announcing plans to set up diagnostic laboratories and therapeutic services.
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said countries should renew their investment in health, adding that it is a crucial factor in the continent’s socio-economic development.
“The key lessons from the pandemic are that health is a critical determinant of safety, economy and education. Therefore, it is important to invest in health as it can block any country’s development,” Moeti said.
Indicative data from Africa CDC and Amref Health Africa showed that a total of 973 million doses were administered in the region, with only 50 percent of the population fully vaccinated, while missing the WHO target of 70 percent.
lam/nmr