The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has commenced the implementation of the Saving Lives and Livelihoods (SLL) initiative in Rwanda.

The SLL is a USD 1.5 billion partnership between the Africa CDC and the MasterCard Foundation launched in June 2021 to purchase Covid-19 vaccines for more than 65 million people and support the delivery of vaccines across the continent.

In Rwanda, as part of the initiative, the Africa CDC will strengthen the country’s immunisation-related infrastructure to benefit other vaccination campaigns.

Here, the CDC hopes to boost the country’s cold chain capacity and bolster 21 new Covid-19 vaccination centres in the northern and western parts of the country.

The initiative aims to reach more than 700,000 citizens with the Covid-19 vaccine during the first year of its implementation.

"Through the Saving Lives and Livelihoods initiative, Africa CDC will continue supporting the continent to reach the Covid-19 vaccination target of 70 percent coverage by focusing on rural and other under-vaccinated communities to bring the pandemic under control,” said Dr. Achamyelesh Debela, Coordinator of Africa CDC Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre.

According to information from the Africa CDC, previously under the SLL, more than 151,000 vaccine doses were delivered to Rwanda to support the country’s Covid-19 vaccination efforts.

Rwanda’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign is continuing as the government makes efforts to reach more members of the population with the vaccines.

 On Monday, August 8, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) started administering the fourth jab of the Covid-19 vaccine in the country.

RBC also looks to extend the inoculation campaign to children under 12 years of age, tentatively starting next month.