Egypt said on Thursday that it was willing to provide COVID-19 vaccines to African countries in parallel with achieving national self-sufficiency, in accordance with the directives of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
On Thursday, Health Minister Hala Zayed said Egypt was willing to meet with delegations of African health ministries to train them on vaccine production at the Vacsera factory in Giza Province near downtown Cairo.
Zayed made the announcement during a meeting with Deputy Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ahmed Ouma to discuss cooperating to provide coronavirus vaccines to African countries.
Health Ministry spokesman Khaled Mujahid said the meeting discussed Egypt's strategy to manufacture vaccines locally and export these to African countries, while the Minister confirmed Egypt's readiness to provide vaccines to Africa in parallel with achieving national self-sufficiency.
“Zayed reviewed the executive steps taken by Egypt to locally produce vaccines through the Vacsera company factory, in addition to equipping the company's complex in Giza's 6th of October city to provide vaccines to African and other countries in cooperation with international firms,” the spokesperson said.
Separately, Zayed affirmed Thursday that her ministry plans to vaccinate all staff and students from Al-Azhar institutions across the country.
During a meeting with Egypt's Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayeb she said all teachers working at Al-Azhar institutes could register online to obtain the coronavirus vaccine at the nearest center.
Zayed said this is in line with the ministry’s plan to complete the inoculation process before the new academic year kicks off.
