By Siva Parameswaran–World News Editor, The African Gazette In what could be a big boost for vaccination in Africa and the Arab world, Morocco has announced plans for producing 5 million doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine per month.
The announcement was made in Rabat on Monday, July 5 in the presence of the Moroccan monarch King Mohammed VI, though it did not say when the production was about to begin.
Sinopharm will be manufactured in the government manufacturing facility Sothema. Morocco also signed an agreement the same day with Swedish pharma company Recipharm to set up a factory in the North African country to produce other key vaccines.
Morocco with a population of about 36 million has vaccinated more people than any other country in Africa in a span of six months, when the roll out was started in January this year.
Around $500 million is expected to be invested in the manufacturing facility of Sinopharm vaccine. The African-Arab state at present is using the vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Sinopharm.
Meanwhile, as Europe eases its travel ban encouraging visitors to boost their sagging tourism and business industry, the European Union is set to restrict access to Moroccans who have been inoculated with Sinopharm vaccines.
The Chinese made vaccine is not on the European Union’s short list of “recognised” vaccines. The decision of the EU comes in spite of the World Health Organisation (WHO) approving the Chinese Vaccine.
Regarding vaccinations, “visa holders are not automatically allowed to travel to France and must comply with the conditions of entry” the French embassy in Morocco tweeted.
Morocco claims to have vaccinated close to 60% of its population till the first week of July. It has approved four vaccines for use in the country and has outlined plans to administer the vaccine to all its citizens over 17 years.
The North African nation has registered more than half a million Covid-19 infections and close to 10,000 deaths due to the pandemic.
According to WHO, “For Africa, the aim is to vaccinate at least 20% of the population by providing up to 600 million does by the end of 2021. The first phase of 90 million doses will support African countries to immunize 3% of the African population that are most in need of protection, including health workers and other vulnerable groups, in the first half of 2021”.
As COVID-19 case numbers in Africa climb faster than all earlier peaks, new and faster spreading variants are fuelling the continent’s surging third wave.
“The speed and scale of Africa’s third wave is like nothing we’ve seen before. The rampant spread of more contagious variants pushes the threat to Africa up to a whole new level” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
“While supply challenges grind on, dose sharing can help plug the gap. Africa must not be left languishing in the throes of its worst wave yet,” Dr Moeti further added.
Although eight vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective and have received WHO emergency use listing, shipments to Africa have dried up. Only 15 million people – just 1.2% of the African population – are fully vaccinated.
The two new manufacturing facilities in Morocco may mitigate Africa’s vaccine crisis. But the big question is who stands to gain with the Moroccan initiative-The African continent or the Arab World?

Siva Parameswaran-World News Editor of the African Gazette, is a senior international journalist with over three decades of experience in all forms of journalism across diverse subjects. He has travelled widely covering war, elections, sports among others. His writings and Radio/TV programmes have been kept as reference materials world wide including Columbia and Cambridge universities. He teaches journalism and trains civil servants on the use of social media.
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