President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the way and manner Ghana managed the Covid-19 situation has been exemplary.
He said this while delivering the 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Wednesday March 30.
He told Parliament that “The management of our Covid-19 has been exemplary. By the grace of the almighty we have saved lives.”
He added “I took the decision we would prioritize the saving of lives, and, then, we would get together to rebuild our economy. Nobody imagined the devastation would be so widespread and last so long.
“We had to learn some very hard lessons, and our belief in the need to be self-sufficient was reinforced when vaccine nationalism was played out blatantly by the rich and powerful countries.”
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Mr Akufo-Addo further indicated that steps have been taken his government to ensure that vaccines are produced locally.
“Mr Speaker, the Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee, which I set up to respond to this obvious deficiency, has put in place a comprehensive strategy for domestic vaccine production, and the establishment of a National Vaccine Institute to implement the strategy, which will enable us to begin the first phase of commercial production in January 2024.
“A Bill will shortly be brought to you, in this House, for your support and approval for the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute.
“This pandemic exposed other shortcomings of our country, which have, undoubtedly, contributed to the anxieties that have befallen the nation. Agenda 111 was born out of this necessity to address some of these shortcomings. At the normal rate of growth, we are not likely to make up the deficit in our health facilities infrastructure for a very long time. Hence, the need for a special, dedicated programme of infrastructural development.”
