'I'm ready to take the coronavirus vaccine' - Gabon president

Gabon president Ali Bongo Ondimba has disclosed that he is ready to take his Coronavirus vaccine shot when a national rollout begins.

Bongo on Monday received a report on the national plan for vaccination from Prime Minister Rose Christine Ossouka Raponda.

"The vaccination campaign will be able to start in Gabon. We are ready. I will get the vaccine myself," he said in a tweet.

Gabon in mid-March received it first batch of China's COVID-19 vaccines, also marking the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines directly donated by another nation to the country.

Chinese Ambassador to Gabon Hu Changchun with Prime Minister Rose Christine Ossouka Raponda and other top officials were present when the consignment arrived at the airport.

In February, two people were killed during anti-vaccine protests in the country. COVID-19 restrictions also triggered protests last year in the capital and other areas.

Bongo will join a growing list of African leaders who have openly affirmed that they will take the vaccines.

His position is in contrast to Madagascan counterpart, Andriy Rajoelina, who said last week that his country was not in a haste to start inoculation and that he will personally not take the shot when it is available.

Rajoelina said he preferred to keep faith with a locally brewed drink, COVID-Organics, to protect himself from the virus.

J’ai reçu ce lundi le plan national de #vaccination.
La campagne de vaccination va pouvoir démarrer au #Gabon.
Nous sommes prêts.
Je me ferai moi-même vacciner.#VaccinezVous #StopCovid pic.twitter.com/Djfe8BhWIR

— Ali Bongo Ondimba (@PresidentABO) March 22, 2021