Ghana's $100m COVID-19 response fund exhausted - Agyeman-Manu

The Minister-designate for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has revealed that the initial $100 million earmaked to fight against COVID-19 in Ghana has been exhausted.

He said this when he appeared before Parliament’s Appointment Committee on Wednesday, February 10.

“You remember initially, we got $100 million allocation to be spent on Covid-19. All that has been exhausted,” 

He added that “We got another money that is just about to mature for us to utilise and it is about $120 million from the World Bank.”

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Mr Agyemang-Manu however told the committee that details of the expenditure can be properly given by Finance Ministry, headed by Ken Ofori-Atta.

“But some of these things, I believe the Finance Minister had actually presented before the House some summary of these Covid expenditure. And I was thinking that these ones can be elucidated by the Finance Ministry instead of trying to take this away from the now learning medical officer,” he said as quoted by joyonline.

Delivering an address to the nation on Wednesday, 11th March, 2020, the President Akufo-Addo said he had directed then Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Attah to make available an amount of $100 million to enhance Ghana’s Coronavirus preparedness and response plan.

This amount, according to President Akufo-Addo, “is to fund expansion of infrastructure, purchase of materials and equipment, and public education.”

But at some point, the Minority side in Parliament had questioned the availability and source of the funds.