How can countries in Western & Central Africa chart a better future for energy

How can countries in Western & Central Africa chart a better future for energy, climate resilience?

AfDB’s 2021 Annual Meetings:  How best Africa can build its Healthcare Defence System

AfDB’s 2021 Annual Meetings: From debt resolution to growth – The road ahead for Africa

BanKable Insights EP10: StanChart on investment opportunities in post-COVID-19 Africa

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rad335c1344882056c86883f66251836e-2-820x633.png" alt="" class="wp-image-407463" width="399" height="308" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rad335c1344882056c86883f66251836e-2-820x633.png 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rad335c1344882056c86883f66251836e-2-300x232.png 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rad335c1344882056c86883f66251836e-2-104x80.png 104w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rad335c1344882056c86883f66251836e-2-768x593.png 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rad335c1344882056c86883f66251836e-2.png 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 399px) 100vw, 399px" /><figcaption>The World Bank Logo Photo via Wikipedia</figcaption></figure>



The World Bank and the African Union said on Monday they would work together to accelerate COVID-19 vaccinations for up to 400 million people across Africa, bolstering efforts to vaccinate 60% of the continent&#8217;s population by 2022.



In a joint statement, the World Bank and the African Union said their agreement would provide needed resources to the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) initiative, allowing countries to purchase and deploy more vaccines.



The initiative will complement efforts already underway by the COVAX vaccine-sharing program, which is co-run by the World Health Organization. A WHO official on Monday said more than half of poorer countries receiving doses via COVAX do not have enough supplies to continue.



The new World Bank initiative comes amid shortages caused in part by manufacturing delays and Indian supply disruptions, with cases and deaths rising as a third wave of infections sweeps across Africa.



&#8220;The World Bank is very pleased to support African countries through this partnership with the African Union to quickly provide hundreds of millions of doses,&#8221; World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement. &#8220;Countries urgently need more pathways for acquiring vaccines that match their needs and have early delivery schedules.”



Strive Masiyiwa, African Union special envoy, said the collaboration between the World Bank and African institutions such as the Africa Import Export Bank and the Africa Centre for Disease Control would provide the capacity to vaccinate at least 400 million people, or 30% of the total African population.



No details were immediately available on the cost of the initiative, but the funds will come from the $12 billion the World Bank has made available for vaccine financing and distribution. The Bank said it expects to be supporting vaccination efforts in 50 countries, two thirds of which are in Africa, by the end of June. 



(Reporting by Andrea Shalal Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Rad335c1344882056c86883f66251836e

World Bank, African Union join forces to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rae31ff1045df2c753d72f3e4b6b731f0-820x568.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-407450" width="588" height="407" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rae31ff1045df2c753d72f3e4b6b731f0-820x568.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rae31ff1045df2c753d72f3e4b6b731f0-300x208.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rae31ff1045df2c753d72f3e4b6b731f0-116x80.jpg 116w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rae31ff1045df2c753d72f3e4b6b731f0-768x532.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rae31ff1045df2c753d72f3e4b6b731f0.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 588px) 100vw, 588px" /><figcaption>Rwandan President Paul Kagame Photo via Flickr</figcaption></figure>



Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa are in talks with investors to start the production of coronavirus vaccines in Africa, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on Monday.



Africa was &#8220;trying to find partners, to start manufacturing vaccines on our continent,&#8221; Kagame said at the Qatar Economic Forum.



&#8220;We are discussing with people who will help with financing and I think in a few months we should hear a different story,” Kagame said, without offering details of how the venture will be financed.



The continent of 1.3 billion people has fully vaccinated only about 1% of its people against COVID-19 even as some wealthier countries have inoculated enough of their citizens to begin reopening their economies.



Kagame on Monday suggested that a Eurobond was one option to help pay for the creation of vaccine manufacturers in Africa.



&#8220;Rwanda has been having a very good B+ credit rating. The Eurobond is one good option that will provide us with resources we are looking for,&#8221; he said. 



(Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana; editing by Omar Mohammed and Grant McCool)

Rae31ff1045df2c753d72f3e4b6b731f0

Talks underway with investors to make COVID vaccines in Africa -Kagame

Captains of Industry: BPR CEO on the impact of COVID-19 on digital payments

The UK – Africa Forum: Billionaire Mo Ibrahim on deepening UK-Africa trade

The UK – Africa Forum: Billionaire Mo Ibrahim on deepening UK-Africa trade, COVID-19 response

Durban’s July Grand Experience Launch

Shared Value Africa Initiative hosts the CEO Connect discussions

The Shared Value Africa Initiative hosts CEO Connect discussions

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/boris-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-406589" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/boris-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/boris-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/boris-120x80.jpg 120w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/boris-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/boris.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Photo via flickr</figcaption></figure>



British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expects the Group of Seven to agree to donate 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries during its summit starting on Friday, and help inoculate the world by the end of next year.



Just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to supercharge the battle against the coronavirus with a donation of 500 million Pfizer shots, Johnson said Britain would give at least 100 million surplus vaccines to the poorest nations.



Johnson has already called on G7 leaders to commit to vaccinate the entire world by the end of 2022 and the group is expected to pledge 1 billion doses during its three-day summit in the English seaside resort of Carbis Bay.



Some campaign groups condemned the plan as a drop in the ocean, with Oxfam estimating that nearly 4 billion people will depend for vaccines on COVAX, the programme that distributes COVID-19 shots to low and middle income countries.



&#8220;As a result of the success of the UK&#8217;s vaccine programme we are now in a position to share some of our surplus doses with those who need them,&#8221; Johnson will say on Friday, according to excerpts of the announcement released by his office.



&#8220;In doing so we will take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good.&#8221;



COVID-19 has killed around 3.9 million people and ripped through the global economy, with infections reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.



GLOBAL EFFORT



While scientists have brought vaccines to market at breakneck speeds &#8211; Britain has given a first dose to 77% of its adult population and the United States 64% &#8211; they say the pandemic will only end once all countries have been vaccinated.



With a global population nearing 8 billion and most people needing two doses, if not booster shots to tackle variants as well, campaigners said the commitments marked a start but that world leaders needed to go much further, and much faster.



&#8220;If the best G7 leaders can manage is to donate 1 billion vaccine doses then this summit will have been a failure,&#8221; Oxfam&#8217;s health policy manager Anna Marriott said, adding that the world would need 11 billion doses to end the pandemic.



Oxfam also called on G7 leaders to support a waiver on the intellectual property behind the vaccines.



&#8220;The lives of millions of people in developing countries should never be dependent on the goodwill of rich nations and profit-hungry pharmaceutical corporations,&#8221; Marriott said.



Of the 100 million British shots, 80 million will go to the COVAX programme led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the rest will be shared bilaterally with countries in need.



Johnson echoed Biden in calling on his fellow leaders to make similar pledges and for pharmaceutical companies to adopt the Oxford-AstraZeneca model of providing vaccines at cost for the duration of the pandemic.



Leaving poorer countries to deal with the pandemic alone risks allowing the virus to further mutate and evade vaccines. Charities have also said that logistical support will be needed to help administer large numbers of vaccines in poorer countries.



The British doses will be drawn from the stock it has already procured for its domestic programme, and will come from suppliers Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Janssen, Moderna and others.



(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Grant McCool and Alex Richardson)

boris

G7 to donate 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries

Temenos on how  cloud technology is transforming Africa’s banking sector

Mastercard Foundation to deploy $1.3bn in collaboration with Africa CDC to save lives

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1158055585-820x547.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-398109" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1158055585-820x547.jpeg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1158055585-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1158055585-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1158055585-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1158055585-scaled.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>African ExportImport Bank&#8217;s (Afreximbank) President Benedict Oramah gestures as he speaks during the Tony Elumelu Foundation&#8217;s African entrepreneurship forum in Abuja, on July 27, 2019. | (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



ABUJA, Feb 23 (Reuters) &#8211; The African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim) has approved $2 billion to support the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines for African countries, its president said on Tuesday.



The African Union initially secured 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from manufacturers for member states. In January, it was announced that the bloc would receive another 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.



President Benedict Oramah told CNBC Africa the <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/covid-19-trade-benedict-oramah-on-how-afreximbank-is-helping-africa-build-back-better/">Afrexim board has approved the funds and that it was seeking to raise more funds for vaccine acquisition</a>.





He said that the 270 million doses will only cover around 15% of Africa&#8217;s population, far short of the 40% to 60% needed for immunity.



Africa&#8217;s reported COVID-19 death toll surpassed 100,000 last week, a fraction of that reported on other continents but rising fast as a second wave of infections overwhelms hospitals.



Faisal Shuaib, who heads Nigeria&#8217;s National Primary Health Care Development Agency, has said the country was &#8220;exploring multiple payment options&#8221; for the doses including through an Afrexim financing plan to make repayments in installments over five to seven years. (Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)



(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html

NIGERIA-ECONOMY-ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Afreximbank approves $2 bln for African nations to secure COVID-19 vaccines

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/106836741-1612732287866-gettyimages-1230684815-ED_278166.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-396789" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/106836741-1612732287866-gettyimages-1230684815-ED_278166.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/106836741-1612732287866-gettyimages-1230684815-ED_278166-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Health workers at Steve Biko Academic Hospital on January 19, 2021 in Pretoria, South Africa. South Africa is currently battling a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gallo Images | Gallo Images | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



South Africa will suspend use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 shot in its vaccination program after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild to moderate infection caused by the country’s dominant coronavirus variant.



Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Sunday the government would await advice from scientists on how best to proceed, after disappointing results in a trial conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand.



The government had intended to roll the AstraZeneca shot out to health-care workers soon, after receiving 1 million doses produced by the Serum Institute of India on Monday.



Instead, it will offer vaccines developed by Johnson &amp; Johnson and Pfizer in the coming weeks while experts consider how the AstraZeneca shot can be deployed.



“What does that mean for our vaccination program which we said will start in February? The answer is it will proceed,” Mkhize told an online news briefing.



“From next week for the next four weeks we expect that there will be J&amp;J vaccines, there will be Pfizer vaccines. So what will be available to the health workers will be those vaccines.”



“The AstraZeneca vaccine will remain with us &#8230; up until the scientists give us clear indications as to what we need to do,” he added.

106836741-1612732287866-gettyimages-1230684815-ED_278166

South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccinations after data shows little protection against mutation

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="613" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230042203-820x613.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-396361" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230042203-820x613.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230042203-300x224.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230042203-768x575.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/GettyImages-1230042203.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>ANNAPOLIS, MD &#8211; November 17: 
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan keeps his mask on as he answers questions during a press conference to address COVID-19 concerns in Annapolis, MD on November 17. 
(Photo by Bill O&#8217;Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



Maryland has reported a case of the new, highly transmissible&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/coronavirus/">Covid-19</a>&nbsp;variant first found in South Africa, marking the third case to be detected in the U.S., Gov. Larry Hogan announced on Saturday.



The case involves an adult resident living in the Baltimore region with no history of international travel, Maryland health officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed.



“We strongly encourage Marylanders to practice extra caution to limit the additional risk of transmission associated with this variant,” Hogan said. “Please continue to practice standard public health and safety measures, including mask wearing, regular hand washing and physical distancing.”



The first two U.S. cases of the South African variant, known as B.1.351, were identified in South Carolina on Jan. 28. Other variants found in the U.S. have originated from Britain and Brazil.



The variants don’t appear to cause more significant illness or increased risk of death, but are believed to be highly contagious. Health officials are particularly concerned about the B.1.351 variant because preliminary research suggests vaccines may be less effective to fight it.



President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/joe-biden/">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;signed a travel ban last week on most non-U.S. citizens entering the country who were recently in South Africa and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/24/biden-to-sign-south-africa-travel-ban-to-slow-spread-of-new-covid-19-strain-.html">reinstated travel restrictions</a>&nbsp;on the entry of non-U.S. citizens from the U.K. and Brazil.



The virus has infected more than 25.9 million people and killed at least 436,000 people in the U.S. since the pandemic began,&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to data</a>&nbsp;compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan holds a press conference to address COVID-19 concerns, on November 17 in Annapolis, MD.

Maryland confirms case of South African Covid variant that’s more infectious

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="740" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1230688605-1110x740.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-395477" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1230688605-1110x740.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1230688605-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1230688605-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1230688605-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1230688605-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1230688605-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>A City of Tshwane Healthcare official takes a throat swab to test for the COVID-19 coronavirus on a woman at the Denlyn Mall taxi rank in Mamelodi township, East of Pretoria on January 20, 2021. (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP) (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



New and more contagious variants of Covid-19 are spreading across Africa, causing a spike in infections and deaths, according to the World Health Organization.



More than 175,000 new cases and more than 6,200 deaths were reported across the continent in the week leading up to Thursday, the WHO said in an update, while infection rates rose 50% between Dec. 29 and Jan. 25 compared to the previous four weeks.



Deaths doubled over the same period to 15,000, concentrated in 10 mainly southern and northern African nations, with 22 countries now seeing infection rates surging.



“The variant which was first detected in South Africa has spread quickly beyond Africa and so what’s keeping me awake at night right now is that it’s very likely circulating in a number of African countries,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said at a virtual press conference on Thursday.



The <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/south-carolina-health-officials-detect-first-known-us-covid-cases-of-more-problematic-variant-from-south-africa.html">variant first discovered in South Africa</a> is driving record infection rates in the subcontinent, and has now been identified in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya and the French Indian Ocean region of Mayotte, Zambia, the WHO confirmed, along with 24 nations outside of Africa.



Meanwhile, the highly contagious s<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/22/boris-johnson-evidence-new-covid-variant-associated-with-higher-mortality-.html">train initially detected in the U.K.</a>&nbsp;has now made its way to Nigeria and Gambia.



The Africa CDC has set up sequencing laboratories across the continent, and the WHO called on all nations to ship at least 20 samples to the sequencing labs per month in order to help coordinate a targeted response.



“In addition to the new variants, COVID-19 fatigue, and the aftermath of year-end gatherings risk powering a perfect storm and driving up Africa’s second wave and overwhelming health facilities,” Moeti said.



“Africa is at a crossroads. We must stick to our guns and double down on the tactics we know work so well. That is mask wearing, handwashing and safe social distancing. Countless lives depend on it.”



Infections over the past week dipped slightly in South Africa, the worst affected country on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/02/lockdowns-curfews-and-doorstep-testing-africas-crackdown-on-the-coronavirus.html">continent which has for the most part avoided</a>&nbsp;the exponential spread of the virus that has brought many major economies to a standstill at various points over the past year.



As of Friday morning, South Africa had recorded 1,437,798 cases of Covid-19 and 43,105 deaths. The entire continent has reported around 3.5 million cases and 88,985 deaths, according to a BBC aggregation of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus

How can countries in Western & Central Africa chart a better future for energy, climate resilience?

AfDB’s 2021 Annual Meetings: How best Africa can build its Healthcare Defence System

AfDB’s 2021 Annual Meetings: From debt resolution to growth – The road ahead for Africa

BanKable Insights EP10: StanChart on investment opportunities in post-COVID-19 Africa

World Bank, African Union join forces to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines

Talks underway with investors to make COVID vaccines in Africa -Kagame

Captains of Industry: BPR CEO on the impact of COVID-19 on digital payments

The UK – Africa Forum: Billionaire Mo Ibrahim on deepening UK-Africa trade, COVID-19 response

Durban’s July Grand Experience Launch

The Shared Value Africa Initiative hosts CEO Connect discussions

G7 to donate 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries

Temenos on how cloud technology is transforming Africa’s banking sector

Mastercard Foundation to deploy $1.3bn in collaboration with Africa CDC to save lives

Afreximbank approves $2 bln for African nations to secure COVID-19 vaccines

South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccinations after data shows little protection against mutation

Maryland confirms case of South African Covid variant that’s more infectious

New coronavirus variants are fueling a ‘second wave’ in Africa, WHO warns

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Coronavirus

How can countries in Western & Central Africa chart a better future for energy, climate resilience?

AfDB’s 2021 Annual Meetings: How best Africa can build its Healthcare Defence System

AfDB’s 2021 Annual Meetings: From debt resolution to growth – The road ahead for Africa

BanKable Insights EP10: StanChart on investment opportunities in post-COVID-19 Africa

World Bank, African Union join forces to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines

Talks underway with investors to make COVID vaccines in Africa -Kagame

Captains of Industry: BPR CEO on the impact of COVID-19 on digital payments

The UK – Africa Forum: Billionaire Mo Ibrahim on deepening UK-Africa trade, COVID-19 response

Durban’s July Grand Experience Launch

The Shared Value Africa Initiative hosts CEO Connect discussions

G7 to donate 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries

Temenos on how cloud technology is transforming Africa’s banking sector

Mastercard Foundation to deploy $1.3bn in collaboration with Africa CDC to save lives

Afreximbank approves $2 bln for African nations to secure COVID-19 vaccines

South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccinations after data shows little protection against mutation

Maryland confirms case of South African Covid variant that’s more infectious

New coronavirus variants are fueling a ‘second wave’ in Africa, WHO warns

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters