Background: Vaccination against the novel coronavirus is one of the most effective strategies for combating the global Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy has however emerged as a major obstacle in several regions of the world, including Africa.Objective: To rapidly summarize the literature on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Africa.Methods: We searched OVID Medline, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, and African Index Medicus for studies published from January 1, 2020, to July 5, 2021, examining acceptance or hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine in Africa. Information on study characteristics study participants’ attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine were extracted from the included articles. Factors associated with vaccine hesitancy or uptake were grouped as themes and summarized.Results: A total of 16 articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Majority of the studies were conducted in Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo. Studies conducted in Ghana, Somalia, Uganda, Benin, Cameroon, Malawi, Mali, Ethiopia, and South Africa were also included in the review. The vaccine acceptance rate ranged from 15.4 to 88.8 %. The major reasons for vaccine hesitancy were concerns with vaccine safety and side effects, lack of trust for pharmaceutical industries and vaccination trials, and misinformation or conflicting information from the media. Factors associated with positive attitudes towards the vaccine included being male, having a higher level of education, and fear of contracting the virus.Conclusion: Our review provides important considerations for addressing the challenge of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and blunting the impact of the pandemic in Africa.

Background Medical students, practitioners and other health professionals are commonly unprepared to address the many complex issues that emerge while conducting research in the Global South. As a response to identified deficiencies in global health education, a hybrid online/face-to-face multi-institutional credit course was developed based on the equity-centered principles advanced by the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research (CCGHR), namely Authentic partnering , Inclusion, Shared benefits , Commitment to the future , Responsiveness to causes of inequities , and Humility . This study aimed to analyze the extent to which the course was effective in fortifying attitudes consistent with the CCGHR principles; identify successes and challenges; and assess how a course such as this can fill an identified gap. Methods This interprofessional course was offered to 25 graduate and postgraduate students in various health professions and public health. Faculty were drawn from medicine, public health, nursing and social sciences from four universities in Western Canada. A pre-post retrospective survey, key informant interviews and participant observation were used to gather data for this study. Results Findings showed that student attitudes regarding global health research and practice significantly evolved towards views consistent with the principles articulated. The multiple instructors and hybrid course format created both opportunities and challenges; the interprofessional nature of the cohort was considered a strong asset, as was the fact that many students came from the Global South. Some students suggested that the course could be further strengthened by concretely partnering with institutions in the Global South rather than offered solely to learners registered in universities in the Global North. Conclusions While weaknesses were identified, results support the conclusion that a course focused on the CCGHR principles could be useful in preparing the next generation of global health researchers and practitioners to mitigate historical limitations in this field. Longitudinal follow-up is warranted to provide more definitive conclusions.

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