Guterres in Senegal: 'Triple crisis' in Africa aggravated by war in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is aggravating a 'triple food, energy and financial crisis,' across Africa, according to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Speaking in Dakar, the capital of the West African country, Senegal, on his first visit to the continent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Guterres said, 'when discussing the socio-economic situation, it is impossible not to mention the war in Ukraine and its impact on Africa.'

The UN chief made the remarks after meeting the country's President Macky Sall, who said that the war in Ukraine was 'a human tragedy' which can have 'a dramatic impact on economies, in particular, those of developing countries.'

The conflict in Ukraine is driving up global food and fuel prices; senior UN officials are concerned that rising costs will push more people into hunger and could lead to political instability and social unrest in some parts of Africa, where food prices have increased by a third since last year.

Before the Russian invasion began in February, the combination of climate change, conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, was already impacting the socio-economic situation in Africa, especially in the Sahel region which includes Senegal.

Vaccine equity and sovereignty

Earlier Mr. Guterres and President Sall had toured a new hi-tech vaccine production facility, currently being built by the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. When completed, it will be able to produce a range of vaccines including Pfizer-BioNTech, one of the most widely used immunizations against COVID-19. It will also be able to manufacture experimental vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis.

Speaking at the end of World Immunization Week, Mr. Guterres said that it was necessary to 'build true vaccine equity across the world,' and that it was 'unacceptable' that close to 80 per cent of Africans are not vaccinated against COVID-19; a situation which he called a 'moral failure.'

President Macky Sall has called for pharmaceutical sovereignty by supporting the emergence of an African pharmaceutical industry capable of meeting basic needs and coping with pandemics.

As part of the COVID-19 recovery plan, Senegal is strengthening its drugs manufacturing sector. It's expected that the vaccination facility will produce at least 50 per cent of the country's needs.

Mr. Guterres added that the world's 'wealthiest...