Africa ‘got it right’ in coordinating access to Covid-19 medicine, PPE

An expert believes that Africa has got it right with its continent-wide strategic plan for a centralised coordination, procurement and distribution of Covid-19 supplies.

“The reality of the pandemic is that until all countries on the continent have it under control, no country is safe,” international relations expert Dr Sithembile Mbete said.

She was reacting to an initiative by the African Union to find a way to navigate the delicate coronavirus with a centralised coordination, procurement and distribution of medical supplies in the whole continent – with the launch of the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) this week.

Potentially, the AMSP could put Africa at the point of being its own boss in fighting the pandemic.

Mbete, from the University of Pretoria, hailed the plan as a “good initiative” as it was a multilateral response to Africa’s resource challenge as it grappled with the Covid-19 crisis.

“Basically, Africa is at the bottom of the food chain in terms of the market for medical equipment. Global suppliers have quotas for each region and Africa has struggled to access test kits and personal protective equipment [PPEs] it desperately needs,” Mbete said.

This affected smaller countries, and bigger economies like SA, Nigeria and Egypt.

“The centralised marketplace is aimed at increasing the bargaining power of the continent as a whole.”

AMSP aims to unlock access to an African and global base of vetted manufacturers and procurement partners to purchase certified medical equipment.

At the centre of coordination is the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) which would provide a list of priority products, oversee quality assurance and facilitate distribution.

AMSP deals with matters such as volumes, quotas, payment facilitation as well as logistics and transportation of the equipment to ensure equitable and efficient access to the supplies by African states.

Afrexibank will facilitate payments – with each country’s national airline acting as partners for logistics and distribution.

“The reality of the pandemic is that until all countries on the continent have it under control, no country is safe,” Mbete noted. “So it is in SA’s interest to support the initiatives to manage the pandemic in Africa as a whole.”

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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