Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Collaboration with Biovac to Manufacture and Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine Doses within Africa

Biovac will perform manufacturing and distribution activities within Pfizer’s and BioNTech’s global COVID-19 vaccine supply chain and manufacturing network, which will now span three continents and include more than 20 manufacturing facilities. To facilitate Biovac’s involvement in the process, technical transfer, on-site development and equipment installation activities will begin immediately. Pfizer and BioNTech expect that Biovac’s Cape Town facility will be incorporated into the vaccine supply chain by the end of 2021. Biovac will obtain drug substance from facilities in […]

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Case studies from Benin, Cameroon, Ghana and the Republic of Congo underline importance of regional integration to intra-Africa trade in wood products

Regional economic integration can boost trade in wood products among African countries, according to the findings of a new report produced by the African Natural Resources Centre of the African Development Bank. The report, Intra-African Trade in Wood Products – Case studies from Benin, Cameroon, Ghana and the Republic of Congo, published on 19 May, explores the role that forest value chains can play in advancing Africa’s development objectives. The continent’s significant forest resources are under-utilized, the report notes. Also, despite […]

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The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa reports record number of transactions in 2020, secures $90 million in new funding

The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) approved seven high-impact projects worth $54 million in 2020, its best year in spite of challenging Covid-19 conditions, according to its recently released 2020 Annual Report. SEFA, managed by the African Development Bank, focuses on green baseload, green mini-grid, and energy efficiency investments. The Fund, founded in 2011, transformed into a Special Fund on 31 October 2019. The report, titled Building Foundations for Success, also details the Fund’s success in attracting increased donor […]

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Africa’s potential in the blue economy highlighted in the World Water Congress

Thirty-eight countries in the African continent are bordered by the ocean or the sea, but for 70% of them, their maritime exclusive economic zones are largely under-exploited. The maritime zones under African jurisdiction cover some 13 Million km2 and some 6.5 km2 of continental shelf. In a video(link is external) broadcast on 1 June last during the Digital World Water Congress organized by the International Water Association (IWA), the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, extolled the […]

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