-YOMMY AYILARA.
CBN To Fund Research For A Nigerian COVID-19 Vaccine – Emefiele.
Godwin Emefiele, The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria has revealed that the country’s apex bank “is developing a framework” through which it can procure financial support to achieve a Nigerian COVID-19 vaccine.
This was revealed at the unveiling, of the THISDAY Dome testing, tracing, and treatment centre on Tuesday, the 12th of May, 2020 in FCT, Abuja.
The THISDAY Dome is anticipated to enhance health facilities accessible to fight the viral disease.
Nigeria recorded 242 new cases of coronavirus which has brought the total infections to 4,641, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday, the 11th of May, 2020.
In his words;
“Needless to state that if we are to wait for foreign countries to develop their own vaccines, we will be the last in the queue to receive curative remedies for our teeming population.
He said the framework will involve grants and long term facilities that will be provided to “researchers, science institutions and biotechnology firms to develop the Nigerian Vaccine.”
Mr Emefiele added that The CBN recently launched an N100bn healthcare intervention fund.
He said;
“Practitioners in the Pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors will be able to access finance at a single-digit rate through this fund. In a bid to cushion the effects of the pandemic on the Nigerian economy, the CBN has implemented several initiatives such as the provision of one trillion naira facility for firms operating in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.”
He concluded by adding that;
“We are also working with financial institutions to enable the continuous flow of credit to viable businesses while putting in place provisions such as moratoriums and restructuring of existing loans under CBN intervention funds, that have been provided to businesses.”
