Health
Today , the hoarding of vaccines by western powers is also a rejection of science . It is predicated on the assumption that multiple jabs will protect western citizens from the Covid-19 variants emerging from countries that have failed to access vaccines as a result of the hoarding . This is happening despite the repeated warnings from the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) and experts that such behaviour could derail the progress made if the new variants proved to be resistant to the available vaccines . The hoarding is also predicated on the discredited assumption that closing borders to supposedly “ unvaccinated ” populations will stop the spread of these variants . Yet , if such health measures sufficed , we wouldn ’ t be in the situation we are in today .
Between these extremes in Africa and in the west that have turned to obscurantism , Senegal and Rwanda ’ s partnership with BioNTech has come as a refreshing reminder that there is hope for humanity after all .
If the objective is to save lives , the World – not just Africa – also needs to learn from past mistakes . If the objective is to maintain the current world order , then lives will be lost . In both cases , Senegal and Rwanda ’ s leadership will be crucial in Africa ’ s fight for health security and dignity .
Lionel Manzi is a Burundian freelance writer .
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Why Is Delivering Health Services So Problematic in Africa ? A View from the Grassroots
Frederick Golooba-Mutebi
With very few exceptions , governments in Africa perform badly when it comes to delivering services to the people . Health services are a particularly challenging area . This explains why , more than 5 decades after independence , many African countries continue to register large numbers of people dying annually from preventable or treatable diseases . It is worth noting that , while fighting for independence , politicians who would go on to assume power after the colonial era promised that , once the colonial rulers were gone , much attention would be focused on fighting three enemies : poverty , ignorance and disease . Remarkably , while healthcare services provided by colonial administrations did not stretch
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