The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, on Saturday awarded 15 countries and five international organisations, in Accra, for donating vaccines and personal protective equipment (PPE) towards the management of COVID-19 in Ghana.
The countries are Japan, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Iceland, Greece, France, Malta, Luxembourg, Austria, Canada, Germany, Hungary, United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom.
The organisations are Centre for Disease Surveillance, COVAX, European Union (EU), African Union (AU), Janssen Pharmaceuticals and US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the ceremony, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the sector minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, said the event was not only to recognise the donor partners, but also to strengthen the bilateral and multilateral alliances in the phase of a rapidly changing global landscape.
She said their support towards Ghana’s developmental agenda was immeasurable and a recognition of the strong partnership between respective governments and organisations.
According to Ms Botchwey, the partnership had been exemplified through the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), vaccines and other crucial medical supplies during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
She said the decline in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ghana since April 25, 2020, could be attributed to the measures taken by the government, the citizenry and donor partners.
Ms Botchwey stated that as at June 7, 2023, the total number of reported COVID-19 cases reported in the country since the outbreak on March 12, 2020 stood at 171,653 with 1,462 deaths.
She said the government had administered at least 24,941,922 doses of vaccines with the establishment of COVID-19 vaccination centres nationwide at the end of May 2023 with vaccination of eligible individuals ongoing.
“The global pandemic has taught us the importance of partnerships since no country is an island. It is also possible to transform existing threats into opportunities fostering resilience and achieving a better recovery through knowledge sharing among countries that have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic,” Ms Botchwey said.
In line with this vision, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in May 2023 commissioned the National Vaccine Manufacturing plant in collaborating with key partners from the private and public sectors, academic and research institutions as well as organisations like the World Health, German Development Corporation (GIZ) and the EU.
She called for the sustenance of health diplomacy for the mutual benefit of all partners as they rally around the shared principles and values, which defines our common interest.
The Honorary Consul of Greece to Ghana, Marianna Gavriel, said the recognition of the countries and organisations served as a testament to the enduring friendship and diplomatic ties between the nations and corporations.
“The esteemed acknowledgement of our contributions to fostering bilateral relations between our ecosystem and Ghana fills us with a profound sense of pride and acknowledgement,” she said.
Ms Gavriel said Ghana’s commitment to fostering international harmony and collaboration was commendable.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU
