Russia has been in talks with the African Union and national governments about getting its anti-coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V approved for use on the continent, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.
“We are actively negotiating the registration of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V in African countries and its deliveries both under national contracts and as part of cooperation with the African Union”, Lavrov said during a Russia-Africa videoconference.
Russia engaged African nations soon after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March last year, sending tonnes of medical and protective gear supplies as well as teams of health workers.
“Russian business entities actively joined in the effort to provide assistance [to African states]. We are now taking our cooperation in this regard to a new level”, Lavrov said in the video address.
Russian mining giant Alrosa announced in February that it would donate shipments of Sputnik V to the southern African nations of Zimbabwe and Angola once the approval was granted. Zimbabwe’s official drug regulator greenlit the vaccine for emergency use on 9 March.
Source: Sputnik
