President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo has hinted that the Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee has put in place a comprehensive strategy to establish a National Vaccine Institute that will produce a vaccine in January 2024.
According to him, “The Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee, which I set up to respond to this obvious deficiency, has put in place a comprehensive strategy for domestic vaccine production, and the establishment of a National Vaccine Institute to implement the strategy, which will enable us to begin the first phase of commercial production in January 2024’’.
Speaking at the 2022 State of the Nation Address in Parliament, the President says a National Vaccine Institute will be established to carry out the strategy, adding that “I decided to prioritize the saving of lives, and, then, we would get together to rebuild our economy. Nobody imagined the devastation would be so widespread and last so long.”
President Akufo-Addo further noted that “We had to learn some very hard lessons, and our belief in the need to be self-sufficient was reinforced when vaccine nationalism was played out blatantly by the rich and powerful countries. A Bill will shortly be brought to you, in this House, for your support and approval for the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute.”
He added that “We could not have been prepared for the catastrophe that hit us, even the richest economies with the most sophisticated structures were unprepared”.
-BY Daniel Bampoe