The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved $130m additional financing for the Kenya COVID-19 Health Emergency Response Project to facilitate affordable and equitable access to Coronavirus vaccines for Kenyans.
The international financial institution made this known in a statement on Tuesday.
It said the additional financing would enable Kenya to procure more vaccines via the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team initiative and the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access facilities.
The fund would also support the deployment of those vaccines by boosting Kenya’s cold chain storage capacity, including establishing 25 county vaccine stores, strengthening the capacity of 36 sub-county stores, and equipping 1,177 health facilities with vaccine storage equipment, the bank stated.
According to the bank’s Country Director for Kenya, Keith Hansen, “This additional financing comes at a critical time when the Government of Kenya is making concerted efforts to contain the rising cases of COVID-19 infections and accelerate the deployment of vaccines to a wider population.
“The upfront financing for the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines will enable the government to expand access to more Kenyans free of cost.”
Other activities that will be funded include vaccine safety surveillance, training for health workers, and advocacy and communications activities to encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake, the Bretton Wood financial institution added.
The World Bank’s Senior Health Economist, Jane Chuma, commented, “With the increased support for a rapid COVID-19 response, the World Bank is offering the government a flexible approach to select a portfolio of vaccines that best suits local capacities, timings of delivery, and vaccine approvals.”
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Bank Group has committed over $125bn worldwide to fight the health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic.
