Egypt’s president urges ensuring fair coronavirus distribution, backing African health systems

CAIRO – 4 March 2021: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi urged in a speech on Wednesday ensuring fair distribution of the coronavirus vaccine among countries and enhancing international coordination to back health systems in Africa, in order to end the coronavirus in the continent.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli delivered the speech on behalf of President Sisi before a virtual meeting of the African Union (AU) Summit Bureau on Africa's strategy to encounter the pandemic and secure vaccines for African states.

The president’s remarks came shortly after Health Minister Hala Zayed said in a Cabinet meeting that the international economic losses will reach around LE 4 trillion in the event of the disproportionate distribution of vaccine doses among rich and developing countries.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of AU Chairman, President of Congo Felix Tshisekedi and with the participation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Sisi emphasized the need to find out a continental framework to obtain licenses for vaccine production and distribution and secure the required funding.

Madbouli, in the speech, expressed Sisi's appreciation of Macron's continued coordination with AU member states to ensure that African states have a fair share of vaccines in the suitable time and at reasonable prices.

Sisi lauded the outcome of a recent G7 summit that pledged over $4 billion to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator ACT-A and the Gavi-led COVAX.

Read the full G7 Leaders’ statement, 19 February 2021

Sisi also hailed Macron’s proposal to allocate 3-5 percent of COVID vaccine stock to African states.