Macron says France will help Africa make more Covid-19 vaccines locally

(File photo) France President Emmanuel Macron .

President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday France would invest in boosting the production of Covid-19 vaccines in Africa, to help close a gap in the availability of the shots between African and Western nations. Speaking at a joint news conference with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, Macron said Africa made up around 20% of the world’s need for vaccines but only 1% of vaccine production. “How do we boost the production of vaccines on the African continent?” he said. ”On this, we will this afternoon have an investment strategy to help these industrials produce more, and quite quickly.” He said France already had a partnership with South Africa’s Biovac Institute. Later yesterday, Macron opened another one with South African pharmaceutical company Aspen. “We need to vaccinate as quickly as possible the maximum number of people...all over the world,” Macron said. “It is our moral duty; it is also in everyone’s interests.”