SA govt contracts private companies to import, distribute Covid vaccines
By Felix Njini
(Bloomberg) – South Africa has for the first time contracted private companies to help with importation and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines as it seeks to step up vaccination nationwide.
The government awarded tenders to state-backed Biologicals Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa Ltd. and Imperial Logistics Ltd. to import an unspecified quantity of doses, the Department of Health said in a document on its website. DSV Healthcare Ltd. was contracted to store and distribute the doses countrywide.
On April 26, Biovac will handle delivery of South Africa’s first batch of 1 million Johnson & Johnson shots being produced locally by Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd., Chief Executive Officer Morena Makhoana said by phone.
IFC Women’s Employment Programme Unveils Global Working Group in Private Health Care
IFC Women’s Employment Programme Unveils Global Working Group in Private Health Care
The working group aims to strengthen women’s leadership roles in the health care sector.
It brings together Chief Executive Officers and Human Resources managers from 17 leading health care organisations in Africa, Middle East, and South Asia to identify and address gender barriers in their field. This is an initiative under the umbrella of IFC’s Global Health Platform, which promotes private sector solutions in developing countries to respond to COVID-19 challenges.
Globally, women represent 70 percent of the 43 million workers in the health care industry, but they hold less than 30 percent of management roles. More recently, evidence shows that women are underrepresented in COVID-19 task forces.
South Africa Stocks at Record in Best Start to Year Since 1999
Bloomberg 1/8/2021
South Africa’s main stock index rose for a fifth day and headed for a third consecutive record close, with banks rallying as optimism over a global economic rebound fueled appetite for riskier assets. Local market giant Naspers Ltd. added impetus to the advance, rebounding from Thursday’s losses as global technology shares rose.
The FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index advanced 1% as of 4:07 p.m. in Johannesburg, extending its gains this week to more than 7%, the best performance over the first five trading sessions of the year since 1999. The gauge has also outpaced the advance in MSCI Inc.’s index of emerging-market stocks, which is up 4.2% this week and reached a record high on Friday.