Covid-19: US announces $24.7m support for Ghana’s vaccination drive

• Posted on April 4, 2022April 4, 2022
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

USAID Ghana Acting Mission Director Janean Davis announces $24.7 million in U.S. funding for Ghana’s vaccination efforts.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ghana Acting Mission Director Janean Davis announced $24.7 million in new funding to Ghana Monday to support vaccination efforts nationwide as part of the Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX).  

The funding, provided through USAID, will accelerate the delivery of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccinations in every part of Ghana.  

Director General of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye and other Ghana Health Service officials joined USAID Ghana Acting Mission Director Janean Davis at the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital to make the announcement.  

“The bottom line is that vaccines are safe, effective, and readily available in Ghana. We realize, however, that the donation of vaccines is not enough. That’s why, today, I am excited to announce on behalf of the U.S. government, an additional $24.7 million dollars to Ghana to accelerate the delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations as part of Global VAX,” said Acting USAID Ghana Mission Director Janean Davis.

She also announced the recent arrival of nearly two million more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, which arrived in Ghana the week of March 21. 

Since September 2021, the United States has donated more than 9.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Ghana, representing more than 30 percent of all vaccines available in Ghana. 

Worldwide, the United States has donated more than 500 million vaccine doses, including 144 million doses to 43 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Global VAX is a U.S. Government effort to contribute to the global goal to vaccinate 70% of the population of every country against Covid-19 in 2022. 

It is a whole-of-government approach that builds on the extraordinary commitment President Biden has made to donate more than 1.2 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2022 and intensifies efforts to get shots in arms.

Global VAX encompasses the U.S. Government’s work with more than 100 countries in every region of the world to increase uptake of Covid-19 vaccines. 

It will also incorporate an intensive surge of financial, technical, and diplomatic engagement in an initial group of countries with both significant need and potential for rapid progress, with an initial focus on sub-Saharan Africa.

-3news