African Union partners Singapore to initiate mutual recognition of digital COVID vaccination certificates
AFRICA – The African Union (AU), through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has partnered with Singapore to implement a framework for mutual recognition of digital Covid-19 certificates with effect from 23rd May 2022.
The announcement follows the agreement on a mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates framework by ASEAN member countries to ease the difficulties border authorities of ASEAN countries face in checking and verifying a traveler’s vaccination certificate.
According to Africa CDC, fully vaccinated travelers with digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates issued in the AU via the Africa CDC’s Trusted Travel and Trusted Vaccines platforms can validate their certificates through the Vaccination Check Portal or the Singapore Arrival Card to verify their vaccination status.
“The PanaBIOS Consortium, a multi-stakeholder initiative convened under the aegis of the African Union, provided technical support, under the UNDP-sponsored Global Haven program, for the attainment of this Global Health milestone,” the Africa CDC disclosed in a press statement.
The COVID-19 vaccination certificate verification system will facilitate the resumption of travel between Singapore and countries in Africa in an effort to ease border travel and strengthen coordination between Singapore and the African Union.
It will allow people from AU Member States to enter Singapore without quarantine or testing under the Vaccinated Travel Framework while fully vaccinated travelers with digital COVID-19 vaccination certificates issued in Singapore can safely obtain Vaccination Passes on the AU TT and TV platforms.
Moreover, persons fully vaccinated in Singapore can apply for a digital vaccination issued by the Singapore Ministry of Health via the Notαrise website and afterwards the vaccination certifications will be sent by Notαrise to the individual’s email or via the Singpass app.
The Africa CDC’s Trusted Travel and Trusted Vaccines platforms are based on the African Union standard for harmonizing digital passes and health-related screening standards across Africa for seamless travel.
“The TT ecosystem gives governments and eligible organizations access to a network of platforms for health credential issuance, border risk management, digital public health surveillance as well as lab, clinical and vaccination registries,” Africa CDC announced.
The platforms have been operational since the last quarter of 2020 and have currently fully onboarded 21 major African destinations including Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, Kenya and Rwanda with plans to onboard all African countries in the next few months.
“Through the new PolyGlot standards adapter, the TT and TV systems also facilitate the interoperability of African digital COVID-19 platforms and those of other continents,” the public health agency further disclosed.
In Kenya, all inbound travelers and travelers who intend to depart Kenya must obtain a negative COVID-19 certificate in accordance with the Trusted Traveler electronic verification system and the PanaBios system that can be verified by airlines and immigration authorities.
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