Ghana has allocated approximately $67 million for vaccine procurement in recent years through its partnership with the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI, according to President John Dramani Mahama.
He further stated that the government has already disbursed $20 million this year as part of its co-financing obligations.
He made these remarks while addressing the Global Health Summit organised by Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Brussels.
President Mahama revealed that Ghana is working diligently to become a donor nation by 2030, transitioning from a Gavi-supported country.
The Ghanaian leader noted that Indonesia has successfully made a similar transition from a Gavi-supported country to a donor nation. President Mahama emphasised that investing in vaccines is crucial for securing the future of children, who will become the nation’s future professionals and leaders.
He stated that Ghana has achieved 97% immunisation coverage, a significant success in public health.
President Mahama encouraged other world leaders to prioritise funding for immunisation programmes over military expenditures, stressing that such investments can help save up to 500 million children from preventable diseases.
“Our partnership with Gavi is that of co-financing, and I am proud to say that in recent years, we have spent over $67 million on vaccines in partnership with Gavi. One of my first decisions as president was to uncap the national insurance. By doing so, we have been able to give the fund more than Gh₵3.5 billion Cedis more. So, this has enabled the fund to be able to front-load $20 million for our co-finance partnership with Gavi this year,” he said.
“We are hoping that we will be able to fast-track our weaning off Gavi by 2030, and it is my expectation that we will work hard to be like Indonesia and in the future become a donor to Gavi,” he said.
Gavi, a global health partnership that brings together public and private sectors to improve access to vaccines in low-income countries, is aiming to raise $9 billion between 2026 and 2030 to immunise 500 million children globally.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
