Kikwete urges increased access to vaccination

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Former President Jakaya Kikwete.

AFRICA United Global Ambassador former president Jakaya Kikwete has called on Heads of State across Africa to prioritise access to vaccination in every community in the continent.

Dr Kikwete made the remarks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday, when accepting invitation from GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and the Confederation of African Football to serve as Champion for Immunisation and Global Ambassador.

President Kikwete said under his leadership Africa United will focus on promoting universal health access, beginning with a focus on Universal Immunisation which he said is crucial to saving the lives of children across Africa and the world.

“Immunisation will be key to preventing over 1.5 million deaths each year. Universal vaccination will also play a fundamental role in developing a healthy, resilient population and in ensuring that we develop the economies we need to face the challenges of the next century,” he explained.

Africa United will formally launch its universal immunisation initiative this week in Kigali at the 4th Edition of the Orange African Nations Championship - Rwanda 2016.

“In Kigali, my esteemed partner in this fight, CAF, will remind everyone that ‘Every Shot Counts’ as we look to achieve our goal of Universal Immunisation,” said Dr Kikwete who is also Chairperson of the United Nations (UN) High Level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crisis.

Africa United is a pan-African innovative initiative led by Gavi, the Confederation of African Football, the African Union, the World Bank Group and the CDC Foundation. This initiative leverages sport to catalyse action on critical health issues facing the continent.

Dr Kikwete was recently named the African Union’s (AU) new special envoy to Libya, replacing former Djibouti Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita. The AU Heads of State Summit agreed to revive high level contact group to mediate for peace in Libya.

He was also recently appointed a member of the High-Level Advisory Group for Every Woman Every Child by the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon.

According to Mr Ban Ki-moon the high-level Advisory group will help provide leadership and inspire ambitious action for women, children and adolescents’ health during the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda.