PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron called Thursday for pharma groups producing vaccines against Covid-19 to donate 10 percent of their production to poor nations.

"Donations of doses by states have to be supplemented by donations of doses by pharmaceutical companies," Macron told a news conference, adding that states had helped fund vaccine research and it was "legitimate" to ask for a contribution from the companies.

Macron also called for leaders of the G7 nations meeting Friday in Britain to back a goal of getting 60 percent of Africans vaccinated by the end of March 2022.

The 60-percent goal was set by the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

Macron said the figure was more ambitious than provided for by the Covax jab scheme for poorer nations, which aims to immunise 20 percent of Africans by the end of 2021.

"I think it's a good objective and it is the one we will endorse at the G7," Macron told a news conference, referring to the 60-percent coverage rate.

EU members have agreed to donate least 100 million doses by the end of 2021, with France and Germany each committing to providing 30 million shots.