EU pledges $5.7b for economic reboot, made-in-Africa vaccines

European Commission President Ursula

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) and other leaders during the European Union-African Union Summit in Brussels. PHOTO | AFP

The European Union is pledging funding to help African economies reboot after the ravages of Covid-19 but the actual disbursement will be tied to actions by individual countries.

At the end of the much-delayed sixth EU-AU Summit in Brussels, the Covid-19 pandemic was the focus of every political leader, including rallying calls to address vaccine equity. Also at the fore were issues of human rights, environmental conservation and climate change as well as technological innovation and digital investments.