Recently, the Africa CDC, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative made its biggest equipment donation valued at over USD3.5 million to Nigeria.
It might be right to say that the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, though devastating was a blessing in disguise to Africa going by the efforts of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Mastercard Foundation continue. The two organisations have continued to play vital roles since the declaration of the end of the pandemic as an emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). Both organisations have been relentless in their commitment to strengthening health systems in Africa and enhancing the response to vaccine-preventable diseases.
Recently, the Africa CDC, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative made its biggest equipment donation valued at over USD3.5 million to Nigeria. It did so as part of its phase one investment in strengthening Africa's health system through the procurement and delivery of state-of-the-art Cold Chain Equipment (CCE) for 32 African Union member states.
The equipment handed over to the Federal Government of Nigeria's National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) includes 115 solar-direct-driven refrigerators, 234 solar-driven freezers, 1,000 temperature monitoring devices, and 778 vaccine carriers and cold boxes.
This is coming on the back of cumulative equipment donation across five member states- Botswana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. The donated items consists of 465 refrigerators and freezers, 1,150 temperature monitors, 5,253 vaccine carriers and cold boxes, and two cold rooms, all valued up to USD3.3 million. The investment in cold chain equipment donation through the support of UNICEF, one of the initiative's implementing partners, is inspired by the West African Health Organization's (WAHO) call for concerted efforts and partner collaboration to tackle healthcare delivery challenges on the continent with the sole aim of improving the storage capacity of all vaccines and the introduction of new vaccine.
During the cold chain equipment donation ceremony in Abuja, the Director-General of the Africa CDC, Jean Kaseya, stated that the Centre is in support of Nigeria's efforts and progress in routine immunization. He said that "would go a long way in adding value to the nation's efforts in its immunization drive while boosting Nigeria's position as a leading nation in immunization and public health".True to those words is that Nigeria has recorded a profound impact on its health landscape with vaccines significantly eradicating and reducing the prevalence of diseases such as polio, measles, diphtheria, and tetanus. In 2020, the country was declared polio-free, a remarkable achievement for the many years of dedication to the fight against polio.
Highlighting the necessity for partnerships in addressing global health challenges and ensuring vaccine equity for Africa, Mr Kesaya pledged that the Africa CDC will continue to support local manufacturing of vaccines because there is a need for Africa to manufacture its vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, as well as to make vaccines available for children and others.
Echoing the importance of the equipment to significantly enhance the healthcare infrastructure and capabilities, Ronak Khan, Deputy Country Representative of UNICEF Nigeria, validated the donation to Nigeria as the largest so far in Africa under the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative. She commended the commitment of the Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation for delivering state-of-the-art and environmentally friendly cold chain equipment.
Like Mr Kesaya, she also applauded Nigeria's immunization drive and noted that the equipment is essential in preserving vaccines and maintaining temperature-sensitive medical supplies. According to her, it would aid the sub-national governments in the provision of a comprehensive vaccination programme as the donated equipment would enable them to store a wider range of vaccines, including those requiring ultra-low temperatures.
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Filled with thanks to the donors, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Muyi Aina, on receiving the equipment, noted that the support aligns with Nigeria's goal to have readily available life-saving vaccines and strengthened cold chain capacity.
"This donation aims to enhance vaccine storage capacity and extend outreach to more communities in the country," Mr Aina stated. He disclosed that before the donation was made, a thorough assessment was conducted to identify gaps in cold chain facilities to ensure the new equipment would be allocated effectively to maximize impact.
With this level of commitment to strengthen Africa's health systems, by the Africa CDC and the Mastercard Foundation, it is believed that with one step at a time in the right direction, member states are better positioned to respond effectively to public health emergencies, ensuring equitable access to vaccines and treatments.
