President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday (30 March) said the Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee has put in place a comprehensive strategy for domestic vaccine production in January 2024.

He said a National Vaccine Institute will be established to carry out the strategy.

“The Presidential Vaccine Manufacturing Committee, which I set up to respond to this obvious deficiency, has put in place a comprehensive strategy for domestic vaccine production, and the establishment of a National Vaccine Institute to implement the strategy, which will enable us to begin the first phase of commercial production in January 2024,” Akufo-Addo said.

Delivering the 2022 State of Nation Address in Parliament on Wednesday (30 March), the president said: “I took the decision to prioritise the saving of lives, and, then, we would get together to rebuild our economy. Nobody imagined the devastation would be so widespread and last so long.”

He added: “We had to learn some very hard lessons, and our belief in the need to be self-sufficient was reinforced when vaccine nationalism was played out blatantly by the rich and powerful countries.

“A Bill will shortly be brought to you, in this House, for your support and approval for the establishment of the National Vaccine Institute.”

Touching on the effect of COVID on the economy, the president said: “We could not have been prepared for the catastrophe that hit us, even the richest economies with the most sophisticated structures were unprepared”.