Nigeria Plan Procurement of 29m Doses Of J&J COVID-19 Vaccine
The Federal Government is committed to procuring 29.588 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine through the AVAT initiative, coordinated by Afreximbank.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, who made this known at a Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) General Assembly webinar, said the supplementary budget for COVID-19 vaccines would cover the cost of additional vaccines over and above those provided by COVAX, as well as the full cost of operations and logistics for delivering the vaccines around the country.
She stated: “Already, the sum of N29.1 billion has been released from the Routine Immunisation budgetary provision (Service Wide Vote) to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) as an advance for the operational cost of deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19: FG to procure 29.5 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, releases N29.1bn
Amarachi Orjiude
Amarachi Orjiude
Published 8 May 2021
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has said the supplementary budget being prepared by her ministry will cover the cost of procuring and delivering 29.588 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
According to a statement by her Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister, Yunusa Abdullahi, on Friday, the minister disclosed this at the 18th Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative webinar.
The statement was titled ‘FG committed to procuring 29.588 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.’
Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja
The federal government is committed to procuring 29.588 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine through the AVAT initiative, coordinated by Afreximbank, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, has said.
Speaking at a Collaborative Africa Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI) General Assembly webinar, she said the supplementary budget for COVID-19 vaccines would cover the cost of additional vaccines over and above those provided by COVAX, as well as the full cost of operations and logistics for delivering the vaccines around the country.
She stated: “Already, the sum of N29.1 billion has been released from the Routine Immunisation budgetary provision (Service Wide Vote) to the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) as an advance for the operational cost of deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Microsoft disclosed in a statement saying:
“Six regions in the country have been earmarked for the development of high-speed internet infrastructure. Microsoft’s Airband team will work closely with local partners to improve broadband connectivity in these communities while also assisting with the design and implementation of hyper-scale cloud services.”
The FG stated that Microsoft’s AirBand Tech has enabled rural and underserved communities gain access to high-speed internet connectivity, tapping into the unused broadcasting frequencies of television white spaces. The technology is also cheaper and faster to deploy than fibre and is coming at a time when telecoms have been the brightest spot of Nigeria’s economy in a period of declining growth.