World Bank, Gov't vaccine loan talks reach Ts & Cs
Mbongeni Mguni | Friday January 29, 2021 17:46
Last week and this week, President Mokgweetsi Masisi hinted that some support was being sought from the World Bank and that he had instructed that urgency be applied to securing vaccines for Botswana.
Last November, the country made an upfront payment to COVAX, the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s vaccine arrangement under which more than 180 countries will collectively secure doses from manufacturers for their citizens. Under the arrangement, Botswana is due to 940, 800 vaccines under a two-dose regimen, meaning about 20% of the population will be covered.
However, with a global scramble for vaccines and logistical issues now intensifying, Botswana is expected to receive the COVAX doses towards the end of the year, while local cases are rising by about 300 a day, with deaths increasing and recently passing the 100 mark.
The World Bank loan will help government “jump the queue” by engaging manufacturers in bilateral deals over and above the COVAX arrangement, thus providing urgently needed doses for Batswana.
This week, Guido Rurangwa, the World Bank’s Resident Representative for Botswana and Special Envoy to the SADC Secretariat, told Mmegi talks were ongoing with government on financial support.
“The Government of Botswana has indicated their interest in the World Bank Group’s support in acquiring COVID-19 vaccines,” he said in an emailed response.
“The support’s amount and timeline are still to be determined.
“Discussions are still ongoing, and progress has been made; details will be provided once concluded.”
He added: “We trust that our discussions will be concluded soon.”
In November, Rurangwa told Mmegi there was no standard limit for the support the World Bank would be willing to advance Botswana.
“With the World Bank, the level of the amount available for an upper middle-income country such as Botswana depends on a few parameters but is determined primarily by the country’s per capita income and its creditworthiness.
“The specific amount available for a country is shared with the government, and we make efforts to accommodate the country’s needs for financing.”
The talks comes as pressure mounts on the public health system with cases rising dramatically. Masisi, in clips shared on his official Facebook page, appeared to acknowledge that while public health campaigns were necessary, there needed to be greater effort towards procuring the lifesaving vaccines.
“Our real long term solution is to vaccinate,” he said.
“These other intervening measures are coping mechanisms and they are very costly as they draw out ‘blood’ for long.
“We want the quickest possible time and I have said to the Minister to make provision for it. “We want to procure the most efficacious vaccine given our circumstances and the potential for success.”
Masisi said in terms of distribution, Botswana would rely on its history of successful immunisation programmes. Frontline workers, such as nurses, would be amongst the priority recipients of the vaccines, he said.
He also confirmed that Botswana was looking beyond COVAX for vaccines.
“COVAX as much as we subscribe to it, is only 20% of the population and 20% does not hit a number needed to treat to provide protection.
“Nor do you get herd immunity out of it. So we really want this urgently,” he said.
COVAX aims to procure two billion doses for its members, with the earliest arriving in arms by March in certain nations.
The African Union recently announced it had secured 270 million vaccines “with at least 50 million available for the crucial period of April to June 2021”.
However, by most estimates, both the COVAX and African Union vaccines would come late for Botswana, mostly likely by the end of the year, while the supplies would also be limited.
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister, Lemogang Kwape recently voiced the country and the continent’s frustration at being at the back of the queue.
“There’s great inequality in the COVID-19 vaccine availability and rollout,” he told a recent WHO executive board meeting.
“Our region may be the last to receive COVID-19 vaccine coverage and that is deeply concerning.”