Should Ghana discover Covid-19 vaccine, “What a triumph that would be”, says Akufo-Addo

Isaac Yeboah Politics Apr - 20 - 2020 , 00:04 2 minutes read

President Nana Akufo-Addo has praised various stakeholders- health professionals, security agencies, the media and corporate Ghana as well as individuals for their respective roles in the fight against the coronavirus disease.

He was particularly enthused scientists at the University of Ghana last week successfully sequenced genomes of the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic to obtain “important information about the genetic composition of viral strains in fifteen (15) of the confirmed cases in Ghana.”

The President issued the commendations in his seventh Covid-19 update to the nation on Sunday, April 19, and lifted the three-week old lockdown on the Greater Accra and Kumasi and their surroundings.

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The genome sequencing feat, he said, ‘is a significant milestone in Ghana’s response to the pandemic, as it will strengthen surveillance for tracking mutations of the virus, and aid in the tracing of the sources of community infections in people with no known contact with confirmed cases.”

“The Ghanaian scientific community is to be warmly applauded for this advance and contribution to global knowledge. Their work makes us proud to be Ghanaian, and, who knows, God may work through them to discover a vaccine. What a triumph that would be!”

He said that discovery illustrates the need to establish the enabling framework for sustainable vaccine manufacturing in Africa and underscored the critical need to advance African-led partnerships to drive scientific innovations for the control of viral diseases by vaccination.

He said “Ghana, recognising this critical public health tool, will support the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative, which is chaired by Noguchi’s Prof William Ampofo, to promote the agenda for vaccine development and manufacturing in Africa by Africans for the world.”