Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has condemned the lack of equity in vaccine distribution in the world.

In an interview with international media on Wednesday, Okonjo-Iweala-Iweala said the lack of equity in the distribution of the vaccine is unacceptable as African nations struggle to jab their citizens in a lopsided vaccine distribution that has seen countries on the continent struggle.

Okonjo-Iweala says the current inequity seen is not “acceptable by a stretch of imagination”. “I mean the good news is 1.1 billion more doses were produced in June, 45 percent higher than May. The bad news is that of this amount to only 1.4 percent went to Africa, and only 0.24 percent to low-income countries,” she said.

“However, there is a donning on everyone, including rich countries and manufacturers. It is in the interest of rich countries to support poor countries to get good access. We are hoping that this donning will lead to changes.”

She also remarked that the WTO will ensure there’s free trading for vaccine manufacturers as Pfizer nears setting up a manufacturing area in Africa after a recent announcement.

Read more: https://newscentral.africa/2021/07/22/okonjo-iweala-condemns-inequity-in-vaccine-distribution/