Ghana to commence COVID-19 vaccine production by 2024

Accra [Ghana], March 30 (ANI/Xinhua): Ghana will start producing COVID-19 vaccines locally by January 2024, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said Wednesday.
Akufo-Addo told the audience while delivering the 2022 state of the nation address before Parliament.

"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 president.

The President said the necessity for vaccine self-sufficiency arose from lessons learned from vaccine nationalism played out "blatantly by more powerful countries."

He promised to present a Bill to Parliament shortly to seek approval for the establishment of the vaccine institute.

"This pandemic exposed other shortcomings in our country, which have, undoubtedly, contributed to the anxieties that have befallen the nation," he stated.

To further strengthen the health delivery system, the president reiterated plans by the government to build 111 new hospitals across the country to serve the growing health needs of the population.
Last Sunday, the Ghanaian president announced the lifting of most of the COVID-19 restrictions, including the opening of land and sea borders and the lifting of embargoes on public gatherings due to the lowering infections rate and the high uptake of vaccination among the population. (ANI/Xinhua)