COVID-19: Germany supports Ghana to conduct feasibility studies into vaccine production

This was disclosed by the German Ambassador to Ghana, Christoph Retzlaff, in a post on social media.

Tweeting on Monday, April 12, 2021, he said leading German pharmaceutical companies will also be on hand to cooperate.

“Germany is supporting Ghana to do a feasibility study on vaccine production in Ghana. Leading global German pharmaceutical companies are also starting cooperation projects,” the Ambassador wrote.

About 99% of vaccines that come to Africa are imported, although the continent is aiming to reduce vaccine imports drastically by 2040.

In February, Ghana received its first doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with about 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines arriving in the country.

The President and the First Lady were the first to take the jab during a short ceremony at the 37 Military Hospital.

More than 500,000 Ghanaians have since been vaccinated against COVID-19, as the vaccination exercise continues at some selected hospitals.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has also disclosed that the country will soon receive one million doses of Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine to help combat COVID-19.

The Director of Public Health at the GHS, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, said the vaccines should arrive soon.

This comes after a presidential advisor on health, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, said the government was eyeing the production of vaccines here in Ghana.

Speaking to Accra-based Asaase Radio in February, he said the government wants to turn the crisis created by the pandemic into an opportunity.

“In fact, the president has formed a committee, which I happen to be a member, chaired by Prof Frimpong Boateng, that we have been charged to come out with the production of vaccines in this country for the sub-region,” Dr. Nsiah Asare stated.

“What we want to do is to position Ghana in such a way that we can be a manufacturer of vaccines not only COVID-19 but all other vaccines for the Africa region. This is what we are doing, we have started work and we believe that we will get there.”