South African head of state Cyril Ramaphosa said today that the progress made by the country "in little more than a year" is due, among other things, to "determined diplomacy."

"The global response to the pandemic has seen incidents of self-interest, protectionism, parochialism, and sometimes anti-Africanism," he said in a statement during the opening of a conference of senior representatives of South African foreign diplomacy.

According to Ramaphosa who is quoted by Lusa news agency, the resilience and growing self-confidence that have been forged in the "fire of this crisis", particularly on the part of African nations, has also been "remarkable".

In this regard, the South African head of state felt that "the coordinated response" of the African Union (AU) to the covid-19 pandemic, under Pretoria's leadership, "has significantly advanced the cause of African unity."

The South African President stressed that in just two years the continent has made "remarkable strides" in strengthening institutional capacity, building the resilience of health systems, and advancing the localization of medical supplies.

"What we can perhaps be proud of is the principled stance that our country has taken on the issue of equitable access to covid-19 vaccines," he vindicated.

"It was South Africa, along with India, that initially sponsored the proposal to the WTO (World Trade Organization) for a temporary exemption to allow countries to produce their own vaccines," he stressed.

The South African head of state also stressed that the covid-19 pandemic highlighted the "fragility" of the world economy; the "terrible" material condition in which the world's poorest and most marginalized find themselves, adding that "overcoming global inequality is critical."

"We have learned that as African countries, we will not fulfill the aspirations contained in the African Union's Agenda 2063 unless we are united and unless we speak with one voice," Ramaphosa said.

Source: Lusa