South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched an online one-stop-shop to address the scarcity and high prices African countries have been confronting in trying to procure critical medical supplies and equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Africa Medical Supplies Platform "has been necessitated by exponential growth in Covid-19 cases and deaths on the continent", Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

As of 5pm SA time on Thursday, Africa had registered 268,391 cases and 7,217 deaths, with South Africa having by far the most cases at 80,412, followed by Egypt with 49,219, Nigeria with 17,735, Ghana with 12,590 and Algeria with 11,268.

However, Egypt has the highest death toll, with 1,850, followed by South Africa with 1,674, Algeria, 799, Nigeria, 469 and Ghana 66.

Ramaphosa, in his capacity as AU chairperson, said at a virtual press conference also attended by AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat that the platform would "address shortages and security of supply, ensure price competitiveness and transparency in procurement, reduce logistical delays, simplify payment processes and provide a common platform where governments can access services from quality and certified suppliers".