Seale said members of the commission represent a cross-section of society, including civil society, academia, the scientific community, the public health sector, the medical fraternity, the private sector, and development finance institutions.
The commission will work within the established African continental strategy structures and will be supported by a secretariat.
The commissioners highlighted the urgency of accelerating vaccine procurement and rollout on the continent through a unified approach, and emphasised the critical role of strengthening health systems and investing in public health as the foundation of this intervention.
“Despite the development of a vaccine, we are still a long way from permanently containing the pandemic, necessitating that African countries consolidate their co-operation and strengthen partnerships with all stakeholders in this crucial next phase,” said Ramaphosa.
The commissioners, who hail from various African countries, include SA’s Prof Salim Abdool Karim and Dr Patrick Tippoo.
TimesLIVE
Cyril Ramaphosa appointed AU’s 'Covid-19 champion'
Image: GCIS
In recognition of President Cyril Ramaphosa's efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the AU Bureau of Assembly of Heads of States and Government appointed him its champion on Covid-19.
The appointment was initially made at the 34th ordinary session of the AU held on February 6, the Presidency said on Thursday.
After his appointment, Ramaphosa established the commission on African Covid-19 response, which he chairs. His deputy is Dr John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Acting presidency spokesperson Tyrone Seale said: “The establishment of this commission recognises and advances the crucial role played by President Ramaphosa in driving the continental Covid-19 response during his tenure as chair of the AU in 2020.”
He said some of the milestones attained include:
“The commission’s overarching goal is to support the president in his championship role to enable his continued leadership in guiding the continental response to Covid-19,” Seale said.
It was to do this by identifying gaps in the continental Covid-19 response strategy and proposing evidence-based interventions within the scope of practice of the commission.
It was also tasked with generating evidence to assess the impact of Covid-19 on social and economic harm on the continent and proposing how to achieve a strong recovery.
“Some of the specific areas of focus in the commission’s work include the need to strengthen the public health workforce, continental manufacturing of diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics, results-orientated partnerships, and strengthening national public health institutions, including the Africa CDC.”
To address the immediate urgency of securing vaccines for the continent, Seale said, the inaugural meeting, which took place on June 22, included invited guests from vaccine alliance Gavi, the UN Children's Fund, the Gates Foundation and the Open Society Foundation, to galvanise support for innovative mechanisms to secure Africa’s position in the vaccine market.
The commission has five working groups facilitated by Nkengasong. Seale said their tasks include:
The groups will also identify funding sources to finance the work of the commission.
Seale said members of the commission represent a cross-section of society, including civil society, academia, the scientific community, the public health sector, the medical fraternity, the private sector, and development finance institutions.
The commission will work within the established African continental strategy structures and will be supported by a secretariat.
The commissioners highlighted the urgency of accelerating vaccine procurement and rollout on the continent through a unified approach, and emphasised the critical role of strengthening health systems and investing in public health as the foundation of this intervention.
“Despite the development of a vaccine, we are still a long way from permanently containing the pandemic, necessitating that African countries consolidate their co-operation and strengthen partnerships with all stakeholders in this crucial next phase,” said Ramaphosa.
The commissioners, who hail from various African countries, include SA’s Prof Salim Abdool Karim and Dr Patrick Tippoo.
TimesLIVE
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