Africa imports 99% of its vaccines and the effects of the circumstance are bearing a heavy burden on the communities on the continent.

Rwanda's President, Paul Kagame, who was attending the G20 Summit in Rome as on behalf of NEPAD, the African Union Development Agency said that Africans represent nearly 18% of the world's people, but less than 5% of Covid vaccine doses have reached the continent.

He said closing the gap has three components requiring active commitment by the G20, as has already happened, and that there must be consistent supply of vaccines for low-income countries to meet the target of 70% vaccination by mid-2022.

President Kagame said that after a slow start, Covax deliveries have picked up, thanks to increased pledges from different countries, among them the United States, the European Union, and its member states, among others.

However, he noted, Africa must begin building manufacturing capacity for vaccines. "Africa imports 99% of its vaccines. By 2040, we aim to produce 60%," he told fellow world leaders.

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