The AVAT Initiative: Some reflections on the negotiation and procurement of COVID-19 Vaccines and setting up of a No-Fault Compensation Scheme

In order to facilitate the procurement and acquisition of vaccines for its people following the unprecedented challenges caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic, the African Union (AU) created the Covid-19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT).

The Task Team partnered with the African Export-Import Bank to develop the Advance Procurement Commitment Framework leading to the establishment of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) to act as the key vehicle to implement the APC Framework.

This presentation looks at the setting up of AVAT and the strategy AVAT adopted in negotiating and procuring of Covid-19 vaccines. It identifies some of the key lessons learnt from the process and how the need for Africa not to be left behind amidst the wave of vaccine nationalism prevalent at the time made AVAT to be creative and innovative ensuring the delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to AU member countries and some Caribbean countries.

Speaker Bio

Enga Kameni

Enga Kameni is Senior Manager Legal Services of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Cairo, Egypt. As Senior Manager, he negotiates, structures and documents loans and transactions where the Bank is a lender, co-lender or borrower. To date, he has assisted the Bank in negotiating, structuring and documenting loan transactions of over US$20 billion and has also assisted Afreximbank in negotiating and raising over US$15 billion from multinational banks and capital markets. He was part of the team that worked in the negotiations and procurement of Covid-19 Vaccines for African Union member countries and some Caribbean countries under the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) initiative.

Prior to joining the Afreximbank, Enga worked as: International Associate, Finance & Capital Markets, Clifford Chance LLP, Paris; Legal Advisor, Perenco Oil & Gas, London, and Manager, Tax & Legal Services, EY.

Enga holds a master's degree in corporate law and governance from Harvard Law School where he was Dean Clark Scholar, Frank S. Lally Scholar and Harman Fellow. He also holds a master’s degree from the University of the Western Cape and a doctorate degree in international trade law from the University of Pretoria. He is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and in Cameroon. In 2016, he was recognized by the prestigious Crans Montana Forum as a New Leader for Tomorrow.

Enga is a visiting lecturer at Harvard Law School, the University of Pretoria, University of the Western Cape, and LUISS University, Italy. He was appointed an Adjunct Professor of International Trade and Finance Law by the University of the Western Cape in 2022.

He has also been a visiting scholar at Stanford Law School, Palo Alto, USA and has made presentations in many institutions including Yale Law School, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, amongst others.