Why vaccines for Africa is a matter of global security modernghana.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from modernghana.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
06 April, 2021
In a statement released today, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has called for a series of urgent actions aimed at upscaling vaccine access in Africa.
Africa is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions. The continent is home to 17% of the world’s population and yet accounts for just 0.5% of global vaccine distribution, according to the latest data.
Ensuring equitable and balanced access to vaccines is a matter of global security and shared interest. If the virus is not defeated everywhere, it will continue to spread and mutate.
The statement, signed by the Foundation’s Board Members, Ibrahim Prize Committee and Prize Laureates, calls for immediate and united efforts to advance vaccine equity. This includes unlocking additional resources to fill Africa’s vaccine gap and build the continent’s vaccine manufacturing capacity in the longer term.
Africa has variously been described as blessed with a key demographic dividend its youth. A collection of energetic, driven, skilled and aspiring population, Africa’s youth is notably leading significant positive change in many different spheres. From technology and entertainment to sports and finance, the youth is helping to define a new, more honourable path for Africa.
Sadly, the system, for the most part, has not been favourable enough for the youth. The African youth has generally been systemically limited, sometimes through deliberate policies, other times through a lack of youth-interest awareness by the ruling class dominated by the older generation.
2019 NGF
Ahead of the Ibrahim Forum, African emerging leaders and young professionals convened for the Now Generation Forum (NGF). The NGF seeks to gather the youth perspectives on the themes being discussed at the Ibrahim Forum. Outcomes from this event are shared at the Ibrahim Forum by selected representatives from the group.
Civil servants are the foundation of any good democracy
12 Dec 2020
Effective civil service is critical to good governance, economic development, and executing the social contract between government and the governed. (Reuters)
COMMENT
With the Ghanaian elections having taken place on Monday, there have been robust debates about how to sustain a strong democracy and ensure elected officials are responsive to the needs of their constituents. Many of these conversations have particularly focused on elections and political parties, but there is a critical piece to this puzzle that is being overlooked.
The civil service is ultimately responsible for translating campaign promises made by politicians into concrete policies and programmes. The civil service is uniquely positioned to be the anchor institution that serves the country at all times, including during elections when political parties and candidates compete to determine who wins the mandate of the people to govern for another