Local Vaccine Production: Andy Kankam calls on govt to fully back project

With COVID-19 vaccinations ongoing worldwide, the global politics on the vaccine has slowed the pace of vaccination, especially in Africa.

As Ghana seeks to get ahead of the continent, some of its pharmaceutical companies have come together to produce some vaccines locally.

Editor of the Informer Newspaper, Andy Kankam applauding this initiative has charged the government of the day to give these companies the needed support to achieve this dream.

To him, Ghana has the expertise to produce a COVID-19 vaccine and has faith this feat and more can be achieved with the support of the government.

“Believe you me, Ghanaian scientists are doing well and need government support and push. The work being done at the Mampong research facility is impressive and that is one of many such examples. With these companies seeking to produce their own vaccines, we pray government gives them the support they need to achieve this dream. It is all about the support and if government guides them with skilled scientists and professors, they’ll achieve the results.”

He noted that Ghana would be applauded by the international community if this vaccine production project is realized.

In the Editors’ Take edition of the Happy Morning show with Samuel Eshun, Andy Kankam stated, “we don’t want a situation where the companies will start their research and government will leave them hanging after their initial investment.”

According to him, with government dedication, Ghana will not only produce vaccines for its citizenry but also export the vaccines to earn foreign exchange.

Expressing his confidence in companies leading this project, the editor advised Ghanaians to also regard COVID-19 safety protocols.

Background

Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry has approached AstraZeneca Plc about acquiring the rights to manufacture the U.K. company’s vaccine locally, a move that could boost supplies and speed up the inoculation program in the country.

The West African nation has to date received 966,850 doses of the inoculations from sources including the Covax initiative, which aims to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 shots, and has been allocated about 1.4 million more. That’s only enough to protect a fraction of a population of more than 30 million.

A solution would be to set up a local production plant, Lucia Addae, executive secretary of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Association of Ghana, said in an interview in Accra. But the group would need an agreement from the U.K.’s AstraZeneca and a pledge from the government to purchase the vaccines before any deal can be reached.