The lack of access to testing for the new coronavirus is a global problem, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a “huge gap” compared to other countries, said last week the director of the African Union Center for Disease Control, John Nkengasong.
In Nigeria, the most populous country on the African continent, with 200 million inhabitants, this “gap” is even more striking than in other regions.
So far, Africa’s largest economy has only carried out 7,100 official tests.
As a comparison, Ghana, with a population six times smaller (30 million inhabitants), performed nine times more, with more than 68,000 tests carried out until Monday.
“the demand for these kits outside the official channels is unimaginable” and is creating an authentic parallel market, according to official reports.
Some criminals are taking advantage of the demand for control by the National Center for Disease Control (CNCD), with the Government recently warning Nigerians of advertising for “fraudulent home tests” that “are growing on the internet”.
