The Federal Government has taken delivery of 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of a total of 1.4 million doses designated for Nigeria by the African Union (AU).
The jabs are of AstraZeneca from the COVAX facility and that of AU COVID-19 vaccination programme, which the MTN Group contributed $25 million.
The vaccines are to be distributed among health workers in the country by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA).
The agency’s Director-General, Dr Faisal Shuaib, confirmed the receipt.
The telecommunications company, in a statement yesterday, quoted the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, as expressing appreciation on behalf of the government.
Expanding on the power of partnership and collaboration, Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, said: “I thank the Nigerian government and the African Union for the opportunity they granted MTN to collaborate and contribute towards the delivery of these vaccines. The ongoing threat of COVID-19 requires a vast and accelerated effort by both the private and public sectors.”
