Improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Sierra Leonne using people … – africacdc.org

“At 90 years old, I feel lucky to have taken my COVID-19 vaccine shot and feel more confident to live a couple more years. I am equally happy to witness more people taking their shots as this strengthens community cohesion,” recounts a community member in Sierra Leone. According to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, the target population fully vaccinated in Sierra Leone as of March 2023 was above 84%. This achievement is attributed in part to the support provided by the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative in augmenting the innovative strategies that the Ministry of Health was already implementing.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, a programme of the Africa CDC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is very strategic and timely in accelerating vaccine uptake in hard-to-reach communities. The initiative’s implementing partners (IPs) in Sierra Leone are the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society (SLRCS), Focus 1000 and the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP). Each of these IPs has unique but complementing roles to achieving enhanced vaccine coverage through joint strategies with the Ministry of Health. The SLRCS is supporting risk communication and communication engagement (RCCE), Focus 1000 supports COVID-19 vaccination centres (CVC) and the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) supports vaccine supply chain management.

The chiefdoms with poor COVID-19 vaccination coverage across the 16 districts were identified and COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) were allocated in these areas. Through a decentralized approach, district coordinators were deployed and have significantly contributed to the initiative by targeting the hard-to-reach and riverine communities.

To improve accessibility in low coverage areas, a mobile strategy was introduced to complement the fixed post-CVCs located at the health facilities. “Today I got my COVID-19 vaccination and I feel grateful because health workers are committing their time to ensure that I remain healthy and active to do my work and that our community people can have access to the vaccine in all chiefdoms,” said Alimamy Foday Jalloh after receiving his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

In creating demand for COVID-19 vaccines in Sierra Leone, the Red Cross Society has been undertaking daily social mobilization and community engagement activities. To take the message of COVID-19 vaccination to the grassroots, the RCCE team had an orientation meeting with Paramount Chiefs, religious leaders, and tribal heads from all 16 districts of Sierra Leone. These leaders are trusted within the communities and with established authority that can influence their audience and communities respectively. At the meeting, all the participants were provided simple and easy to understand COVID-19 vaccine messages, while concerns and comments from participants were addressed. Posters and awareness cards were then distributed. Following the meeting, twenty-five (25) religious leaders and 37 tribal heads were vaccinated to encourage their subjects and communities to have confidence in the vaccine.

Leaving no-one behind is a focus of the vaccination campaign where the participation of the community is crucial and regular community meetings are held with the programme team. The meetings provide the community with a feedback platform allowing the programme team to listen to the community’s fears about the vaccine and provide a response to the misinformation resulting in increased trust and social cohesion. Building trust and acceptance is key in programme intervention, and community-led approaches build ownership and adaptation by the people. The Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative in Sierra Leone focuses on local solutions for underserved communities anchored on the 100 100 70 strategy targeting the more vulnerable population.

“Working with the community is key, putting them at the centre of what we do is very important, as we are engaging the community to take the COVID-19 vaccine,” noted Kadiatu Jalloh RCCE Officerfrom Sierra Leone Red Cross Society. Understanding the community context, and actions and addressing their hesitancy or resistance to the vaccine significantly promotes behaviour change. The need to take into consideration social interaction, hierarchies and power relations in the targeted communities form and maintain strong partnerships across all levels. Improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake using people-centred approaches has encouraged the community’s understanding of government efforts in relevant interventions to foster community-led action in Sierra Leone.

“Working with the community is key, putting them at the centre of what we do is very important, as we are engaging the community to take the COVID-19 vaccine,” noted Kadiatu Jalloh RCCE Officerfrom Sierra Leone Red Cross Society. Understanding the community context, and actions and addressing their hesitancy or resistance to the vaccine significantly promotes behaviour change. The need to take into consideration social interaction, hierarchies and power relations in the targeted communities form and maintain strong partnerships across all levels. Improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake using people-centred approaches has encouraged the community’s understanding of government efforts in relevant interventions to foster community-led action in Sierra Leone.

Agriculture

Zim takes investment opportunities to Türkiye indaba – The Herald

Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor
Zimbabwe’s investment opportunities will take centre-stage during the 4th Türkiye-Africa Business Forum where Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava is expected to lead the country’s delegation.
The economic business forum is set for Thursday and Friday next week at the Istanbul Congress Center in Istanbul.
In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Türkiye, Alfred Mutiwazuka, confirmed Harare’s participation.
He said Zimbabwe’s delegation will comprise officials from ZimTrade, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Government institutions and private sector companies.
“In line with Zimbabwe`s engagement and re-engagement drive, Minister Shava will have a meeting with Professor Dr Omer Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye to discuss among other issues: the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 2018 and ratified by Türkiye in February 2022 and implementation of the Agreement to Establish the Türkiye-Zimbabwe Business Council signed in 2016 by the CZI and Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board,” said Ambassador Mutiwazuka.
“The Minister will engage players in the agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport and infrastructure sectors with a view to inviting them to invest in Zimbabwe.”
Ambassador Shava is also expected to participate in a panel on “Türkiye and Opportunities under the AfCFTA”, a topic that the Turkish authorities have shown great interest in, as they advance Türkiye-Africa cooperation.
Some members of the Zimbabwe delegation will participate in other panel meetings on digital transformation, health technologies, sustainability of value chains in the agro-industries and manufacturing sectors, women entrepreneurship, free zones, the AfCFTA, financing of trade and investments and banking during the two-day conference.
Ambassador Mutiwazuka said the Türkiye-Africa Economic Business Forum offers mutual benefits to both Africa and Türkiye, through increased economic cooperation.
“The Forum demonstrates the emerging role of African countries as dynamic players in the global business arena. African countries and Zimbabwe, in particular, benefit from the increasing economic development of Türkiye economic cooperation hinged on the ‘win-win’ principle,” he said.
Africa benefits from this forum in various ways including facilitating increased trade and investment between Africa and Türkiye by promoting economic relations and encouraging Turkish businesses to invest on the continent.
Increased investments are expected to lead to job creation, infrastructure development, and increased revenue for African nations.
African countries are also expected to benefit from infrastructure development since Türkiye has expertise in infrastructure projects such as construction, transportation, and energy.
Through the forum, Africa can benefit from Turkish investments and technologies, which address crucial infrastructure gaps in many African countries.
Türkiye also has experience in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, which can be shared with African nations to enhance their own industrialisation efforts.
President Mnangagwa has reiterated that Zimbabwe is on an unrestrained path to industrialisation and modernisation, and the country is expected to benefit from its participation in the business forum.
It is expected that collaboration with Türkiye in the manufacturing and industrial sectors can help Africa develop local industries, reduce import dependency, and create employment opportunities.
With many countries experiencing food shortages, it is expected that through participation in the business forum, African countries will benefit Türkiye’s advanced agricultural technologies — machinery and implements — and knowledge that help to improve productivity, increase food security, and enhance agricultural value chains.
This knowledge transfer can contribute to sustainable agricultural development in Africa.
The Türkiye -Africa Economic Business Forum also promotes tourism and cultural exchanges and investment in the tourism industry, thereby creating employment opportunities, and fostering cultural understanding.
African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Ambassador Albert Muchanga has said this year’s Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum convenes against the background of global challenges of climate change and its adverse impact of heat waves, flooding and drought, inflation, geopolitical tensions, food and energy insecurity as well as the lingering Covid-19 pandemic is some parts of the world.
But he said while this is a period of multiple challenges, it is also a period of opportunity and hope, and the “key lever is cooperation because it is a vital instrument in meeting the world’s complex challenges which no country or region can solve on its own”.
“The Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum is a strategic lever in this regard,” said Ambassador Muchanga.

Africa Moyo Deputy News Editor

Zimbabwe’s investment opportunities will take centre-stage during the 4th Türkiye-Africa Business Forum where Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Ambassador Frederick Shava is expected to lead the country’s delegation.

The economic business forum is set for Thursday and Friday next week at the Istanbul Congress Center in Istanbul.

In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Türkiye, Alfred Mutiwazuka, confirmed Harare’s participation.

He said Zimbabwe’s delegation will comprise officials from ZimTrade, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Government institutions and private sector companies.

“In line with Zimbabwe`s engagement and re-engagement drive, Minister Shava will have a meeting with Professor Dr Omer Bolat, Minister of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye to discuss among other issues: the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement signed in 2018 and ratified by Türkiye in February 2022 and implementation of the Agreement to Establish the Türkiye-Zimbabwe Business Council signed in 2016 by the CZI and Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board,” said Ambassador Mutiwazuka.

“The Minister will engage players in the agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transport and infrastructure sectors with a view to inviting them to invest in Zimbabwe.”

Ambassador Shava is also expected to participate in a panel on “Türkiye and Opportunities under the AfCFTA”, a topic that the Turkish authorities have shown great interest in, as they advance Türkiye-Africa cooperation.

Some members of the Zimbabwe delegation will participate in other panel meetings on digital transformation, health technologies, sustainability of value chains in the agro-industries and manufacturing sectors, women entrepreneurship, free zones, the AfCFTA, financing of trade and investments and banking during the two-day conference.

Ambassador Mutiwazuka said the Türkiye-Africa Economic Business Forum offers mutual benefits to both Africa and Türkiye, through increased economic cooperation.

“The Forum demonstrates the emerging role of African countries as dynamic players in the global business arena. African countries and Zimbabwe, in particular, benefit from the increasing economic development of Türkiye economic cooperation hinged on the ‘win-win’ principle,” he said.

Africa benefits from this forum in various ways including facilitating increased trade and investment between Africa and Türkiye by promoting economic relations and encouraging Turkish businesses to invest on the continent.

Increased investments are expected to lead to job creation, infrastructure development, and increased revenue for African nations.

African countries are also expected to benefit from infrastructure development since Türkiye has expertise in infrastructure projects such as construction, transportation, and energy.

Through the forum, Africa can benefit from Turkish investments and technologies, which address crucial infrastructure gaps in many African countries.

Türkiye also has experience in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, which can be shared with African nations to enhance their own industrialisation efforts.

President Mnangagwa has reiterated that Zimbabwe is on an unrestrained path to industrialisation and modernisation, and the country is expected to benefit from its participation in the business forum.

It is expected that collaboration with Türkiye in the manufacturing and industrial sectors can help Africa develop local industries, reduce import dependency, and create employment opportunities.

With many countries experiencing food shortages, it is expected that through participation in the business forum, African countries will benefit Türkiye’s advanced agricultural technologies — machinery and implements — and knowledge that help to improve productivity, increase food security, and enhance agricultural value chains.

This knowledge transfer can contribute to sustainable agricultural development in Africa.

The Türkiye -Africa Economic Business Forum also promotes tourism and cultural exchanges and investment in the tourism industry, thereby creating employment opportunities, and fostering cultural understanding.

African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, Ambassador Albert Muchanga has said this year’s Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum convenes against the background of global challenges of climate change and its adverse impact of heat waves, flooding and drought, inflation, geopolitical tensions, food and energy insecurity as well as the lingering Covid-19 pandemic is some parts of the world.

But he said while this is a period of multiple challenges, it is also a period of opportunity and hope, and the “key lever is cooperation because it is a vital instrument in meeting the world’s complex challenges which no country or region can solve on its own”.

“The Türkiye-Africa Economic and Business Forum is a strategic lever in this regard,” said Ambassador Muchanga.

Agriculture

Zim takes investment opportunities to Türkiye indaba – The Herald