Africa unites to lower cost of Covid-19 tests and PPE
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African countries have pulled together to set up a one-stop shop to give the continent a fairer chance in the international scramble for Covid-19 test kits, protective equipment and any vaccines that emerge.
The Africa Medical Supplies Platform will work like eBay or Amazon, unlocking access to supplies across the continent, and could save billions of pounds.
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, speaking in his capacity as African Union chair, said the platform “will address shortages and security of supply, ensure price competitiveness and transparency in procurement, reduce logistical delays, simplify payment processes and provide a common platform where governments can access services from quality and certified suppliers”.
Lockdowns are already being lifted to stimulate flagging economies even as coronavirus infections are on the rise.
Covid-19 infections were first recorded in sub-Saharan Africa in March, mostly imported from Europe and the US. On Friday, Africa had registered 275,327 cases and more than 7,400 deaths.
South Africa alone accounted for more than a third of the recorded infections. Masiyiwa pointed out that, across Africa, the average number of tests per one million people was 1,669 because of a worldwide shortage of kits, compared with 173,029 in Iceland, 44,123 in the US and 31,592 in the UK.
