A Kenyan health worker prepares to administer a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to her colleagues.
A Kenyan health worker prepares to administer a dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to her colleagues.
Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images
CNN  — 

The Mastercard Foundation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will deploy $1.3 billion over the next three years as part of a new initiative to acquire and deliver vaccines across the continent.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods scheme aims to secure shots for more than 50 million people and help develop vaccine manufacturing in African countries, the organizations said in a press release Tuesday. The second wave of Covid-19 has hit Africa much harder than the first, according to analysis published in March in The Lancet medical journal.

A Kenyan woman receives the first injection of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine during the launch of the vaccination campaign for 5000 frontline workers in the tourism and hospitality sector in Nairobi county at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 21, 2021.
A Kenyan woman receives the first injection of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine during the launch of the vaccination campaign for 5000 frontline workers in the tourism and hospitality sector in Nairobi county at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 21, 2021.
Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

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“Ensuring equitable access and delivery of vaccines across Africa is urgent. This initiative is about valuing all lives and accelerating the economic recovery of the continent,” said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation.

The announcement comes amid growing global concern over Covid-19 vaccine inequality. Many African nations have struggled with barely sufficient supplies of shots. The African Development Bank has warned that the pandemic could drive 39 million people into extreme poverty in 2021.

“Ensuring inclusivity in vaccine access, and building Africa’s capacity to manufacture its own vaccines, is not just good for the continent, it’s the only sustainable path out of the pandemic and into a health-secure future,” said Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC.

ZOMBA MALAWI, March 11, 2021 -- A local resident receives the COVID-19 vaccine in Zomba, Malawi on March 11, 2021. Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera and his deputy, Saulos Chilima, on Thursday led the country in getting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to mark the official rollout of the vaccination campaign. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Joseph Mizere via Getty Images)
ZOMBA MALAWI, March 11, 2021 -- A local resident receives the COVID-19 vaccine in Zomba, Malawi on March 11, 2021. Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera and his deputy, Saulos Chilima, on Thursday led the country in getting the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to mark the official rollout of the vaccination campaign. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Joseph Mizere via Getty Images)
Joseph Mizere/Xinhua/Getty Images

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World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday that he hoped the African continent’s vaccine manufacturing sites would be up and running by the end of 2021.

“Sharing vaccines now is essential for ending the acute phase of the pandemic. But it’s also clear that in an emergency, low income countries cannot rely solely on imports of vaccines from wealthier nations,” he said at a news briefing.

The African Union hopes to vaccinate at least 60% of its population – approximately 750 million people – by the end of 2022. Currently, less than 2% of Africans have received at least one Covid-19 shot, according to the Africa CDC press release.

Zamira Rahim reported from London and Stephanie Busari reported from Lagos