Scottish Government to help fund vaccine distribution in Africa

The Scottish Government is making money available to UNICEF to help with the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine in three African countries.

The £1.5 Million will be sent to Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia.

The cash will also help to strengthen the health systems in the nations, through the provision of equipment, resources and technical support.

The funding will support the identified priority of delivery of at least 6.5 million vaccine syringes in Rwanda, to ensure that sufficient vaccination equipment is available so that doses arriving are able to be utilised as quickly as possible.

In Malawi and Zambia, UNICEF will also work to provide information about, and build confidence and acceptance of, the COVID-19 vaccines at community level– a vital part of the programme which could reach ten million people in total.

Minister for International Development Neil Gray said:

“The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest global challenges. It is a disease that does not recognise nations or borders, and we are well aware of the inequity in the access to COVID-19 vaccines across the world.

“This partnership with UNICEF will allow us to support our partner country governments in Malawi, Zambia and Rwanda in their COVID-19 response, and will go some way to addressing vaccine inequity in Africa.

“By working together on this shared challenge, and helping to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in our partner countries, this funding also underlines this government’s commitment to international solidarity and to fulfilling its role as a responsible and compassionate global citizen.”

Antoinette Eleonore Ba, UNICEF Health Specialist for Eastern and Southern Africa, said:

“Countries in Eastern and Southern Africa have made great strides in tackling the pandemic, but there is still much more work to be done to support the operational planning and logistics of COVID-19 vaccine roll outs.

“Scottish Government funding will provide valuable support for UNICEF’s response in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, including making sure communities have the information they need to access vaccines, providing supplies such as syringes for administering the vaccines and increasing cold chain capacity and oxygen provision – all key interventions that will strengthen health systems in the three countries to both help save lives now and in the future.”

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