COVID-19: India donates 100, 000 doses of vaccines to Nigeria

By Ajuma Edwina Ameh

The government of India has donated 100,000 doses of Made-in-India Covishield vaccines, to Nigeria.

The vaccines which arrived at the Abuja airport from Mumbai, via Addis Ababa, on March 26, 2021, were delivered to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) by the High Commission of India.

According to a press statement issued by the High Commission of India, Abuja on Tuesday, the Covishield vaccine, manufactured at the Serum Institute of India, is the first COVID-19 vaccine approved by NAFDAC, Nigeria.

India High Commissioner, Abhay Thakur, said the supply of the vaccines to Nigeria was in respect of the commitment made by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, that India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help humanity in fighting COVID-19.

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The supply of Made-in-India vaccines to Nigeria is in keeping with India’s longstanding, age-old and time-tested ties with Nigeria based on close friendship and deep mutual trust, he said.

India has been at the forefront of the global fight against the pandemic and supports a collective approach in this battle.

Guided by this philosophy, and as the pharmacy of the world, India, and under its ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative; Maitri means Friendship has supplied millions of doses of vaccines to many countries spread across the globe.

As at April 2, 2021, India had supplied 61.426 million doses of Made-in-India vaccines to 82 countries and will be supplying to more countries soon.