The Government of Ghana has received medical supplies from the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) for the treatment and management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The medical items were funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the German Government (BMZ), the European Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission and WAHO and procured by GIZ and UNDP. This is the second bulk of distribution of critical COVID-19 medical supplies to the 15-member countries of ECOWAS by WAHO.

The items include face masks, protective goggles, overalls, gloves, oxygen concentrators, and pulse oxymitters.

The donation forms part of a $50 million support facility to ECOWAS to enhance the regional fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Receiving the items, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, on behalf of the Minister for Health, expressed the government’s gratitude to WAHO and its partners for their support.

He underlined the importance of the items which he said will enhance testing and treatment of the COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Head of Logistics at the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control, Mr. Sampson Ayeni who led the team to donate the items, was hopeful that the supply would be efficiently used.

He mentioned that more distributions and allocations will be done because additional items would be procured for member countries of which Ghana would be a beneficiary.

He was full of commendation for Ghana for the support ECOWAS has received from the country and thanked Ghana and Nigeria for supporting the transportation and storage of the supplies under the ECOWAS emergency support facility to member countries and with aircraft and warehouses.

Mr. Christoph Retzlaff, the German Ambassador to Ghana described the donation as significant, pledging his country’s commitment to supporting Ghana in the fight against COVID-19 as demonstrated through the funding of some of the items.

Ms. Silke Hollander, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Ghana noted that UNDP as part of the UN System remains committed to working with the government and partners to provide lifesaving medical supplies to enhance the capacity of frontline workers to fight the pandemic.