How Tanzania can benefit from China’s 1 billion vaccine doses

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is set to receive a part of the 1 billion Covid-19 more doses that China has pledged to deliver to African countries to battle the pandemic that continues to wreak havoc across the globe, it has been stated.

This comes when the country has so far received more than 500,000 Sinopharm doses of Covid-19 vaccine as a donation from China as it ups its vaccination campaign with a view to inoculating at least 60 percent of its nigh-60 million population.

In a media briefing yesterday held by the Chinese Embassy to Tanzania via Zoom conferencing, the embassy gradually adopted what was happening at a recent eighth triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac) in Senegal graced by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It was noted that Tanzania may also see a boom in investments from Chinese companies that will be encouraged to invest not less than $10 billion in the continent over the next three years as outlined by China’s President Xi recently.

Tanzania’s Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation minister, Liberata Mulamula, led a delegation from the country to the forum where she (Mulamula) was quoted as saying the conference was a great success and the direction pointed out by President Xi, the commitments announced and the measures proposed were commendable.

President Xi said 600 million doses will be donated while the rest will be jointly produced by Chinese enterprises and African countries, though he did not provide details.

“We need to put people and their lives first, be guided by science, support waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines, and truly ensure the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in Africa to bridge the immunisation gap,” he said in a speech. He put forward four proposals for building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era, including fighting Covid-19 with solidarity, deepening practical cooperation, promoting green development, and upholding equity and justice.

Mr Xi said a China-Africa cross-border yuan centre would be set up to provide African financial institutions with a credit line of $US10 billion, without giving further details.

China will provide $10 billion of trade finance to support African exports, create a zone for trade and economic cooperation and build a China-Africa industrial park, he said.

In the new venture, nine programmes will be implemented jointly by China and Africa in the next three years covering healthcare, poverty reduction and agricultural development, trade promotion, investment promotion, digital innovation, green development, capacity building, cultural and people-to-people exchange, and peace and security. “We will work with Tanzania and other African countries to vigorously carry forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation,” said the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Chen Mingjian.

She noted that they intend to fully implement the outcomes of the FOCAC, and make unremitting efforts in building a China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.