The African Union (AU) announced that it has received an offer from the Russia Direct Investment Fund for 300 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, along with favorable financing terms. This would finally bring the total doses committed to Africa to 1.57 billion, which is what they need — however, the big question is how soon they can be delivered. The AU is planning to cover 60% of Africa’s 1.3 billion people, which is 780 million. Since Africa has a very high portion of its population under 16 years of age, about 40%, the 60% figure represents all of the population 16 and above.
The Sputnik V doses would start in May and be delivered over as much as a 12-month period. John Nkengasong, director of the AU’s Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) told the Feb. 18 weekly press briefing: “We are grateful to receive Sputnik V vaccines from the Russian Federation and are tremendously proud to be able to offer them… for our AU Member States. Bilateral and private sector partnerships such as these are critical in our efforts to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end.”
