MTN partners with African Union for COVID-19 vaccination

Press releases of Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Source: MTN Ghana

2021-01-27

In a unique public / private partnership, MTN, Africa’s leading mobile network, has announced a donation of US $ 25 million to support the African Union’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

The donation will help secure up to seven million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for health workers across the continent, which will support the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) vaccination initiative .

“The devastating impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and profound. Public and private partnerships are necessary if we are to be successful in fighting the pandemic and restoring social and economic norms for our continent and our communities, ”said Ralph Mupita, President and CEO of MTN Group.

On January 14, 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the African Union, announced that the African Union had secured 270 million provisional doses of COVID-19 vaccine on behalf of its member states, thanks to commitment guarantees advance purchase of up to $ 2 billion for manufacturers by the African Export-Import Bank.

This was an important milestone in efforts to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for African populations. However, with a population of around 1.3 billion, Africa needs many more doses to achieve at least 60 percent herd immunity. Contributions from private organizations, like MTN, are therefore essential to help the continent achieve its goal.

“Our goal is to ensure that everyone who needs the COVID-19 vaccine has access to it very quickly, but the biggest obstacle in Africa has been funding for vaccines and the logistics of large-scale vaccination. We therefore welcome good partnerships, like the one with MTN, to achieve our minimum immunization target of 60 percent, ”said Dr John Nkengasong, Africa CDC Director.

Commenting on this, MTN Ghana CEO Selorm Adadevoh said: “Our immense gratitude goes to our dedicated frontline health workers, government and other key stakeholders who have worked tirelessly and braved the obstacles to help our country facing this relentless pandemic. MTN appreciates your dedication to duty and hopes that these vaccines will help us all fight the COVID 19 pandemic. ”

Since the start of the pandemic, MTN has made a significant contribution to limiting the spread of the disease and saving lives and livelihoods in its African market.

This donation is another example of MTN’s efforts to help find lasting solutions to solve the challenges facing the continent and to ensure a healthy Africa, for all Africans.

“We believe that ongoing collaborations with key stakeholders across all sectors are essential as vaccines are deployed in all of our markets, with communication tools, technology and digital services being a vital supporting infrastructure for an immunization program. mass successful, ”concludes Mupita. “In the coming months, MTN Group will be looking at similar support commitments for the markets we operate in in the Middle East.”