COVID-19: African leaders should use same zeal in executing coups to produce vaccine - Nana Obiri Boahen

Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has challenged Africa leaders to principally convene for the sole purpose of coming up with locally-made vaccines to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to him, the same zeal with which Africa leaders convene a meeting to address coup d’état issues in other African countries should be employed into producing vaccines in Africa to support their people.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Nana Obiri Boahen bemoaned how the whole African continent with all the resources has not been able to produce a vaccine out of the numerous herbs in the continent.

“A continent like Africa, if it is a coup d’état, Africa leaders will immediately come together to address the issue and ask the coup makers to hand over, but how long have you seen Africa leaders attending any meeting principally on how to get the vaccine for the Covid-19?”, he wondered.

“It is a whole issue; the vim and the vigour with which Africa leaders condemn coups in other countries, we don’t see them use the same vim and vigour to meet and address the vaccine issue,” he stressed.

He was of the view that it is easy to produce a Covid-19 vaccine in Ghana within three months at the Centre for Scientific and Research into Plant Medicine if all the researchers, doctors and scientists come together.

“You can’t convince me that in Ghana if we should give ourselves three months and bring all our researchers, doctors and scientists together at the Centre for Scientific and Research into Plant Medicine, we can make a breakthrough. I am highly convinced that they can make a breakthrough,” he indicated.