Administrator Samantha Power’s Meeting with Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. John Nkengasong

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Rebecca Chalif:

Today, Administrator Samantha Power met with Dr. John Nkengasong, the Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). They discussed the recently announced whole-of-government effort, the Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX), to accelerate global efforts to turn COVID-19 vaccines into vaccinations through expanded vaccine readiness, delivery support, and enhanced coordination. Dr. Nkengasong provided his perspective on the country capacity and political will needed to significantly ramp up vaccine access and delivery across the African continent. The Administrator and Dr. Nkengasong agreed on the importance of close collaboration between the U.S. government and the Africa CDC in achieving Global VAX goals.