President Hage Geingob yesterday told world leaders, including US president Joe Biden, that they should work together to end vaccination apartheid.

“While committing to save lives now, Namibia wishes to state that saving lives can only be successful once we eliminate vaccine apartheid,” said Geingob.

“It is not in anyone’s interest that in certain countries people are receiving their first doses while in others, people are receiving booster shots. Let us not forget that, ‘no one is safe until all of us are safe’.”

He also said Namibia aims to vaccinate 70% of the population by 2022. 

The President, who is in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, said Namibia is fully committed to the goals of ending the pandemic and building a stronger global health security architecture in 2022.

During the Global Covid-19 Summit ‘Ending The Pandemic and Building Back Better’ on 22 September 2021, on the sidelines of the UNGA, Geingob told leaders that Namibia has taken various steps to fight the pandemic, including increasing health workers, infrastructure development, expanding access to reliable oxygen supply, strengthening health information systems, health financing and increasing health commodities and supplies.

“Mr President, as someone who we know as a staunch partner in our fight against apartheid, we have the utmost confidence that once again, you will partner with us to ensure that indeed, all of us, whether big or small, old or young, poor or wealthy are safe from Covid-19.”

Biden was a staunch anti-apartheid voice in the United States and travelled to a conference in South Africa in 1976. He refused to be separated from his Congressional Black Caucus colleagues in Johannesburg.

He has been a leading voice in the US Senate against the white supremacist regime of apartheid.