The Ministry of Health (MoH) has received funds for clearance of locked up Global Fund commodities at the port.
The Ministry said it had received a total of 283 containers of various commodities, including Antiretroviral drugs, Treated Mosquito Nets, medical devices and equipment, among others from the Global Fund through the Tema port.
A statement, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the Ministry with assistance from the Ministry of Finance secured auction chits for the clearance of 219 containers.
It said the Ministry’s inability to clear the commodities at the port in time was as a result of third-party charges amounting to GHC 7.429.694.39
It said a request letter was sent to the Ministry of Finance to assist in securing auction chits for the outstanding 64 containers, which comprised one TB medication container, the remaining mosquito nets and the outstanding third-party charges.
“The Ministry of Health, has now received an amount of GHC7,429,694.39 from the Ministry of Finance for the payment of demurrage for the clearance of all Global Fund outstanding containers at the Tema Port.
This amount is expected to complement the payment of third-party charges as outlined above,” the statement said.
“It is expected that with the funds received, all outstanding containers will be cleared by the end of June 2024,” it added.
“We, therefore, urge the people of Ghana and our stakeholders to continue to exercise patience as we work to ensure the clearance and delivery of these essential commodities for the good of public health.”
This follows an open letter from the Country Coordinating Mechanism -Ghana (CCM Ghana) to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo threatening street protest should the commodities remain at the port by June 25.
