Experts tip governments in Africa to influence people for Covid-19 vaccination

By Ben Musanje

11^th Nov 2021

Experts have highlighted three issues that have caused Africa to miss the World Health Organization’s –WHO target of full vaccination against Covid-19.

Recently, reports indicated that more than 50 countries, mostly in Africa, had missed the WHO’s target for 10% of their populations to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of September 2021.

By then, Africa had registered 4.4% of fully vaccinated yet the United Kingdom was at 66% and the European Union had 62% and the US was at 55% according to the BBC.

During the virtual Cross border Café on vaccines efficacy organized by MESHA Science today, Dr. Lilian Benjamin Mwakyosi from DARE Organization in Tanzania says mentions out the Government weak structures of reaching out to the communities, the gap between scientists and the community as well as the lack of evidence in communication by the media as the major causes of Africa to lag behind the vaccination target.

Mwakyosi says that the government should use Church leaders, involve generational youths, influencers, digital advancements and spike dialogues for community engagements to influence the public for vaccination.

Prof. Walter Jaoko, the Director KAVI- Institute of Clinical Research in the University of Nairobi categorizes countries like Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Cameroon and Ethiopia among others with a limited number of people administered with covid-19 vaccines.

The WHO is aiming for 40% of the world’s population to be fully vaccinated by the end of 2021.