Israel donates 100,000 doses AstrZeneca to Ghana

Israel is set to donate 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to support Ghana’s determination to vaccinate about 20 million of the population by end of the year.

The consignment is part of 1 million doses of the vaccines to be delivered to Africa through the COVAX programme to help tackle the pandemic especially amid the increasing cases of the virus across the world.

Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Shlomit Sufa revealed this in a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Thomas Mbomba at the Ministry last Friday.

“This vaccine donation to Africa is the first example we are setting to show the potential of Israel’s cooperation with the African continent which has been strengthened by Israel’s Observer Status at the African Union. This donation is also an example of Israel’s good bilateral relations with Ghana,” she said.

Mr Mbomba thanked Israel for the continual support in various sectors over the years and pledged the country’s commitment to the strengthening of the existing bilateral relations for mutual benefit.

In 2020, the State of Israel through its embassy in Accra supported the Ministry of Health in many ways to fight against the COVID 19 pandemic. The beginning of the pandemic was characterized by emergency support where about 2,000 Personal Protective Equipment such as face shields were donated to health facilities.

Israel has a long-term diplomatic and bilateral partnership with Ghana. Ghana was the first African country to establish diplomatic relations with the State of Israel, the second state in Africa to have an Israeli embassy and the first African state to have a state visit by Israel’s former Foreign Minister Golda Meir in 1958.

In 2011, the State of Israel reopened its Embassy in Accra, which has since strengthened the relations between Israel and Ghana on the level of government-to-government, business to business and people-to-people relations.

On the bilateral level, Israel and Ghana collaborate in sectors such as agriculture, health, Fintech, innovation, Cybersecurity, climate change, entrepreneurship, and water and sanitation.

BY TIMES REPORTER