President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Masisi has appealed to U.S. President Biden to assist with coronavirus vaccines.

Masisi made the call during a closed-door meeting with the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland during her visit to the Botswana capital, presidential press secretary Batlhalefi Leagajang told reporters.

Leagajang said the president “expressed frustration at the slow pace of vaccine distribution which he said has resulted in the loss of many lives.” 

The press secretary went on to say that several of Botswana’s development projects have had to be put on hold, with finance allocated to the fight against Covid-19, including vaccine payments.

Victoria Nuland, the first senior U.S. official to visit Botswana after President Biden entered the White House, expressed the administration’s appreciation for Masisi’s governance at home and in the region.

As it stands, Botswana chairs the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, an informal SADC mechanism that emerged in 1996 to promote security and stability in the region.

Earlier this week, the U.S. announced it will donate 25 million Covid vaccines to 49 African countries, yet Botswana is not among the first on the list to receive them. The first vaccines have been sent to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Gambia, Lesotho and Senegal, with more on the way.

However, the U.S. Embassy in Botswana stated that the country is on the list to receive additional vaccines: “The U.S. Embassy does not have information on when Botswana will receive the additional vaccines from COVAX at this time”. 

Although Botswana is not one of the priority countries that urgently requires vaccines, The Embassy added the U.S. government is committed to sharing vaccines with Botswana to bolster the global effort to control the pandemic: “The Biden Administration is committed to leading the global response to the pandemic by providing safe and effective vaccines to the world”.