Inside Africa’s drive to boost medicines and vaccine manufacturing
Addis Ababa – With COVID-19 vaccine supplies to Africa slowing down, the continent is working to boost its own manufacturing capacities for vaccines, medicines and vital health technologies. Mrs Biruk Abate Halallo, Health Attaché at Ethiopia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Offices in Geneva, is the driving force behind a resolution on the local…
Read MoreDirector-General’s opening remarks at the World Health Assembly – 24 May 2021
Your Excellency Madam President, Ambassador Keva Bain, Your Excellency Alain Berset, Federal Counsellor of Switzerland, Excellencies, distinguished colleagues and friends, Lucy Nyambura is a health promotion officer in Mombasa City, Kenya. When COVID-19 arrived last year, a strict lockdown was introduced, but it was met with strong resistance by the local community, who refused to…
Read MoreSecretary-General’s remarks to the Africa Dialogue Series [as delivered]
I am pleased to join you for this dialogue on Africa’s future. I welcome your focus on cultural identity. This builds on the African Union’s theme for this year, highlighting the importance of arts, culture and heritage in building the Africa we want. Culture is the flower of the human being – the fruit of…
Read MoreThis is a pivotal moment to bend the trend towards a fairer response to the global pandemic
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt around the world, with devastating impacts on children. Just in the first months of this year, nearly 50% of countries have experienced some level of disruptions to primary healthcare services, including child health services. 9.3 million more children could suffer wasting by 2022 and 168,000 more…
Read MoreAfrica’s COVID-19 Cases Near 4.76 Million: Africa CDC
ADDIS ABABA, May 25 (NNN-ENA) – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 4,759,772 as of yesterday noon, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said. The Africa CDC, the specialised healthcare agency of the African Union, said, the death toll from the pandemic stood at 128,463, while 4,303,326…
Read MoreAfrican NBA Scout Eyes Talent in BAL Tourney
The inaugural Africa Basketball League tournament is entering the playoff stage. For Sonny Side of Sports, VOA’s Prince Nesta spoke with Sarah Chan, Africa scouting manager for the 2019 NBA champion Toronto Raptors, about her basketball journey and the games plying in the BAL. The interview was edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: Briefly, can…
Read MoreWorld Food Programme and Crisis Group Partner to Strengthen Conflict Prevention
The UN’s World Food Programme has signed a Strategic Partnership with global conflict resolution organisation, the International Crisis Group, in order to boost its conflict sensitivity and prevention capacity as it continues to deliver life-saving food to the world’s most vulnerable people. The partnership comes after a year marked by increased conflict, the impact of…
Read MoreONE LIGHT, ONE TUNNEL: How commitments to COVID-19 vaccine equity can become reality for last mile communities (May 2021)
Introduction As COVID-19 vaccination campaigns progress in some countries around the world, we are seeing the light at the end of the global pandemic tunnel. By mid-April 2021, close to 735,000,000 vaccination doses had been administered, with over 405,000,000 individuals having received at least one vaccination dose, broadly 5 per cent of the global population.…
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