Ghana has awarded Foreign Governments and International Organisations who donated COVID-19 vaccines and other essential medical supplies for the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
During an awards ceremony which was held on Saturday 17th June, 2023 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey who presented the awards to the International Donor Partners on behalf of the Government and People of Ghana, expressed appreciation to the international partners for their unwavering support during the COVID-19 pandemic. She emphasised that the donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), vaccines and other essential medical supplies had further strengthened the bilateral and multilateral relations between Ghana and the International Donor Partners.
Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey noted that Ghana experienced a decline in COVID-19 confirmed cases from 25th April, 2020 as a result of measures which were taken by the Government in cooperation with the people of Ghana, and the support of international partners. She also informed that as of 7th June, 2023, the total number of cases which were reported in Ghana since the outbreak on 12th March, 2020 stood at 171, 653 with 1,462 deaths. She further added that as of May 2023, a total of 24,941,922 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered through the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres which were established across the country.
The Minister further stated that the National Vaccine Manufacturing Plant which was commissioned in May 2023, by the President of the Republic H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was in collaboration with key partners from the public and private sectors, academic and research institutions, and organisations such as the World Health Organisation, GIZ and the European Union. She added that the initiative focuses on local vaccine development and manufacturing for the African Continent. Hon. Ayorkor Botchwey indicated that collective efforts which were put in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic re-echoed the benefits of global partnerships, since no country is an island. She called for concerted effort to transform existing threats into opportunities and foster resilience to achieve better recovery through knowledge sharing among countries that have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic.
The Acting Chief Director for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Amb. Ramses Cleland in his remarks commended the International Donor Partners for their support and was hopeful that the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic will enable countries have a common approach towards effective management of global challenges for sustainable and inclusive development.
The Honorary Consul of Greece to Ghana, H.E. Marianna Gavriel, on behalf of the awardees expressed appreciation to the Government and People of Ghana for the recognition and honour bestowed on them. She also commended the people of Ghana for their warm hospitality, and reaffirmed their dedication to work tirelessly towards further strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Ghana and the International partners.