Income Countries
Africa on cusp of the third wave of coronavirus facing a vaccine shortage
Africa is heading into a third wave of coronavirus infections as the least-inoculated continent faces a shortage of vaccines. African nations reported 94,000 new cases in the week through June 6, a 26% increase. South Africa announced the most new cases, followed by Tunisia, Africa Centres for Disease Control & Prevention Director John Nkengasong said in an online briefing Thursday. “Fourteen or so of our member states are now heading toward the third wave, and aggressively so,” he said. “It really highlights the need for us to roll out vaccines at speed and at scale.” Only 2.8% of Africa’s population is inoculated, compared with a global average of 14.5%, according to Africa CDC and Bloomberg Economics data. The program has slowed because of interruptions to supply from India, where m...
EU releases last tranche of $14.5 million to assist Nigeria rollout coronavirus vaccine
The European Union has said $14. 5 million out of the €50 million promised to the Federal Government to assist in the roll out of COVID-19 vaccine would be released this week. The Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, who addressed newsmen yesterday in Abuja, revealed that already €9 million grant had been released to boost the prevention and response to Coronavirus in Nigeria. “The EU is taking the lead in supporting partner countries, including Nigeria, to tackle the tackle the COVID-19 pandemic by combining resources from the EU, its member states and European financial institutions, under the ‘Team Europe’ initiative. “At the onset of the pandemic in Nigeria, the EU rapidly mobilised €50 million grant in humanitarian aid was given to Nigeria to boost preventio...
Nigeria to benefit as G-20 approves extension of debt relief
Finance ministers of G-20 countries have approved an extension of debt relief for the world’s poorest nations till December 2021. David Malpass, World Bank president, made the announcement at the virtual spring meeting, on Wednesday. TheCable had earlier reported that the G-20 countries will meet this week to consider an extension of the debt freeze. The G-20, is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 of the world’s largest economies, including those of many developing nations, along with the European Union. G-20 countries had established a debt service suspension initiative (DSSI) which took effect in May 2020. Nigeria had benefited from the initiative which delivered about $5 billion in relief to more than 40 eligible countries. The suspension period which was or...
