Accra, Ghana//-The World Bank Group has so far disbursed a total of $435 million to Ghana’s government to fight COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Pierre Frank Laporte, disclosed this at a media interaction in Accra today.
Given the breakdown, he said during the peak of COVID-19 between April-May 2020, the bank supported the Ghanaian government with $105 million through the World Bank Group (WBG) global emergency health program.
The program according to him provided the government with essential PPEs, recruited and trained health professionals in surveillance, infection prevention and control, contact tracers and laboratory technicians, enhanced testing capacity from two to ten active laboratories, among others.
The bank also funded a life insurance package worth GH¢10.3 million (equivalent $2 million) – approximately $52,000 benefit per incidence, for those directly involved in surveillance, case management, laboratory, and the project also strengthened national and sub-national coordination and risk communication and community engagement.
As at end-June 2020, a total of 2,250 individuals had been evacuated with the government bearing the full cost of flight and the project paying for the mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine services for 1,116 persons, most of whom are students.
Subsequently, the Ghana Productive Safety Net Project, which supports Social Protection reallocated resources to allow for a temporary expansion of cash transfers to poor and vulnerable people who will be heavily impacted by COVID-19, Mr Laporte, said.
Second tranche
According to him, the bank also approved an additional credit of $130 million from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project.
This additional financing supports Ghana to scale up its efforts to mitigate the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic and to safely reopen its economy.
This additional funding was timely and critical to save lives and build resilient systems by further increasing capacity of surveillance, diagnosis, treatment with increased availability of intensive care unit beds and adopt new COVID-19 medications.
These are integral efforts towards the broader objective of achieving Universal Health Coverage, which Ghana has committed as a priority,” Mr Laporte, said.
The project strengthened the Government of Ghana’s efforts to prevent and contain the virus and to safely revive socioeconomic activities in the country. It also supported preparations for future COVID-19 vaccine deployment.
The project complements both the World Bank Group and other development partners’ investments in disease control and surveillance, and citizen engagement.
The project also expands communications and awareness campaigns nationwide to reduce risks of infection and to increase understanding of theCOVID-19 vaccines.
It also increases support to persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups such as survivors from gender-based violence, which have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic.
Third tranche
On 10th June 2021, bank again approved a $200 million Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project Second Additional Financing.
In collaboration with the COVAX Facility COVID-19 vaccine acquisition the project will provide financing to support the Government of Ghana to procure and deploy COVID-19 vaccines for 13 million people in Ghana.
The project according to Mr Laporte would also strengthen the resilience of Ghana’s health systems to better prepare for the future pandemic and to secure the continuation of essential health and nutrition services, including routine childhood immunization.
The Ghana COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Project Second Additional Financing will enable the country to explore the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines from a range of sources to support Ghana’s target to vaccinate 17.5 million people in a way that ensures value-for-money.
The project will also support an equitable and effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in line with Ghana’s National Vaccine Deployment Plan.
According to him, these loans would be paid by the Ghanaian government in about 40 years time.
Impact on economy
World Bank had earlier warned that the devastating COVID-19 pandemic which is causing global humanitarian and economic crisis is reversing Ghana’s years of economic gains. But Mr Laporte today said that the country is projected to grow over 4 percent.
The West African country was among the fastest growing economies in Africa before the pandemic.
Ghana experienced a surge in infections and fatalities in January 2021, entering a second wave of rising infections of COVID-19. The number of daily active cases in February 2021 was as high as the peak of the first wave in June 2020. Furthermore, Ghana was also confirmed to have recorded the COVID-19 variant, which first appeared in South Africa.
As at today Monday 21, June 2021, Ghana’s total COVID-19 case count stood at 94,913, with 92,881 recovered cases, while 793 people sadly lost their lives to the deadly various.
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