(Ecofin Agency) - The government of Rwanda announced it will mobilize $51 million to acquire doses of Covid-19 vaccines by next year. 

Health Minister Daniel Ngamije said two-thirds of the budget will first be used for vaccine acquisition, as the country is also relying on the WHO Covax initiative. The goal is to vaccinate about 7.8 million people, or 60% of the population, by the end of 2022. "We are aiming at buying affordable but effective vaccines that are at least 80 percent effective," the minister said.

The announcement comes months after Finance Minister Uzziel Ndagijimana announced the disbursement of $15 million in public funds to vaccinate about 30% of the population by the end of 2021.

As a reminder, on March 3, 2021, the country received 240,000 doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, the first doses obtained under the COVAX initiative, and more than 102,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine also arrived that evening. Rwanda has officially reported 19,198 positive cases of Covid-19 and 265 deaths.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou