France donates more than 10 million vaccines to African countries

FRENCH PRESIDENT Emmanuel Macron has issued a statement confirming that the European nation will send 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa before the end of 2021. The move comes after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa criticised richer countries for ignoring poorer nations’ struggle to buy vaccines. Africa is currently the least vaccinated continent in the world with just two percent of the 1.2 billion population fully vaccinated. Macron’s statement confirmed that the donation would allow 400 million people to be vaccinated in the next year, around one-third of the continent’s total population. Donated vaccines will be distributed through the African Union’s Vaccine Acquisition Trust.