GHANA HAS announced it will start producing its own Covid-19 vaccines in January 2024.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said in his State of the Nation Address in parliament, last month, that a National Vaccine Institute would be created to begin the first phase of producing vaccines. 

“A bill will shortly be brought to you, in this House, for your support and approval for the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute,” he said.

According to Reuters, Ghana has fully vaccinated approximately 21.4% if its 30 million population against coronavirus. 

Last year, Bloomberg reported that Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry had approached AstraZeneca Plc about acquiring the rights to produce the vaccine in the west African country.

Ghana has recently lifted most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions after citing declining infections and an effective vaccine rollout as a reason to try and return to some form of normalcy.

According to the latest statistics, Ghana has recorded 1,445 Covid-related deaths since January 2020. 

In August 2020, Cuba became the first country in the Caribbean to formulate and use its own vaccine.

The country set as record as the smallest nation to produce and inoculate its population with a homegrown jab. 

Cuban health officials have also announced they are applying to the World Health Organisation for approval of one of its homegrown vaccines, as it has secured funding to produce 200 million doses for lower income countries. 

Cuba has recently donated vaccines to St Vincent and the Grenadines and Syria and is sharing knowledge with other countries to assist them in manufacturing their own vaccines.