November 10, 2022
African scientists say Western aid to fight pandemic is backfiring. Here’s their plan
Global health inequities are inevitable, according to virologist and former president of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences Oyewale Tomori.
“The WHO is,” says Tomori, “well, I know the W stands for World, but sometimes I think it stands for White.”
Dr. Tomori shared that he was not surprised that high-income countries were buying up monkeypox vaccine supplies and that WHO was sharing its vaccines with 30 non-African countries, leaving the continent without access.
Fed up with their countries’ inadequate responses to Ebola, COVID-19, and now monkeypox, a growing movement of African scientists is advocating for improved biosecurity on the continent – that is, protection against pathogens.
This article discusses four key strategies that will allow African countries to optimize resources to improve access to vaccines, eradicate ebola, and control future disease outbreaks. After all, Africa does not need to rely on Western philanthropy, says Dr. Tomori. “We’re not poor; it is that we’re not making good use of what we have.”
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Oyewale Tomori is a virologist at Redeemer’s University and the past president of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences. Western aid “is not helping us,” he says. “It’s making us more dependent.”
