Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday announced the country will begin producing COVID-19 vaccines locally by January 2024, reported Reuters.
While delivering the 2022 state of the nation address before Parliament, Akufo-Addo said the government has instituted a comprehensive strategy to produce vaccines domestically.
“The Vaccine Manufacturing Committee set up in the wake of the pandemic has drawn a comprehensive strategy for domestic vaccine production and the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute to implement the strategy to commence the first phase of commercial production by January 2024,” said the Ghanaian president.
Akufo-Addo said the need to become self-sufficient in terms of vaccine production arose after learning about vaccine nationalism played out by developed countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This pandemic exposed other shortcomings in our country, which have, undoubtedly, contributed to the anxieties that have befallen the nation,” the president stated.
The Ghanaian president said his government will soon present a bill before the Parliament to get approval for the vaccine institute. He said the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute will help the country to start the first phase of its domestic vaccine production in January 2024.
In order to strengthen the country’s health delivery system, the president said the government is also planning to set up 111 new hospitals across the country to serve the growing health needs of the people.
Ghana, Senegal, and Rwanda are working together on building a pan African project where initially the fill and finish plant will be located in Ghana.
Earlier this week, President Akufo-Addo announced the re-opening of land and sea borders and the lifting of most of the COVID-19 restrictions, including mandatory wearing of face masks.
The Ghanaian president said the decision was made after reviewing the raft of measures that were put in place to help win the fight against the virus amid rapidly declining infection numbers.
