NEWS Around Africa in seven stories… H E A LT H C A R E
United States to ship 10 million vaccines to Nigeria and South Africa
ECONOMY
OBAMA IN NEW AFRICAN ROLE B AR ACK OBA MA , the former President of the United States, has taken on a new role within the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) African business. Having launched its African division in May 2021, the NBA values the business at almost $1 billion. As part of the move, Obama has become a strategic partner and minority owner of the NBA’s African branch and is set to use his stake to fund the Obama Foundation youth and leadership programmes across the continent.
In a statement, Obama commented: “The NBA has always been a great ambassador for the United States—using the game to create deeper connections around the world, and in Africa, basketball has the power to promote opportunity, wellness, equality, and empowerment across the continent. “By investing in communities, promoting gender equality, and cultivating the love of the game of basketball, I believe that NBA Africa can make a difference for so many of Africa’s young people.”
AS A F R I C A continues to battle through a third wave of infections, the US government is set to provide almost 10 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria and South Africa. According to White House officials, it is believed that four million doses of the Moderna vaccine will be given to Nigeria, while over five and a half million doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be delivered to South Africa. The South African shipment is the single largest sent by the United States since it began sending vaccine shots overseas. As a result of the latest shipments, the total figure of US vaccines doses sent to Africa now stands at 16.4 million. The news comes after it was revealed that African countries had administered only 60 million vaccine doses to a 1.3 billion population, as of the third week of July 2021.
H E A LT H C A R E
UK to equip Kenya with COVID-19 vaccines T HE U K will begin to deliver nine million COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, including to Kenya, in a bid to tackle the pandemic. According to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, five million doses are being offered to COVAX – the scheme 6 | Africa Outlook issue 91
to ensure equitable, global access to COVID-19 vaccines. Subsequently, COVAX will distribute them to lowerincome countries via an equitable allocation system which prioritises delivering vaccines to the people that need it most. As a result, Kenya is set to receive around 817,000 doses, while Indonesia will be given 600,000 and Jamaica will be provided with 300,000.