Ken Ofori-Atta, the minister of finance, has stated that the government has managed the COVID-19 monies with transparency and caution.
He claimed all the costs were covered in the last Budget Statement when he spoke yesterday in Parliament on how the government used COVID-19 funds.
He went into further detail about the technicalities, describing how they contributed to the pandemic's containment and helped save lives.
sources of funding
The minister provided specifics, stating that GH12 billion of the GH18.19 billion the government raised from the different sources of funding in 2020, which was less than the GH19.3 billion planned, was actually spent.
GH1.2 billion from the Government of Ghana Contingency Fund; GH1.3 billion from World Bank Group Funds; GH5.8 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF); and GH1.2 billion from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
the European Union (EU), GH503 million, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) COVID-19 bonds, and the African Development Bank (AfDB), GH405 million.
Utilisation
In order to assist the execution of the COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, Mr. Ofori-Atta informed the House that $230 million had been acquired from several World Bank-affiliated facilities (EPRP).
He said that an extra $200 million was obtained in 2021, mostly for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations.
He said that additional money were obtained to support the budget, including $99.7 million from the EU, $1 billion from the IMF, and GH 10 billion from the BoG.
Exclusion
The Minister clarified that the COVID-19 measures were not included in the status of how the monies were used. "Mr. Speaker, the planned spending for COVID-19-related expenses for the years 2020 and 2021 was GH15.7 million, of which GH12 million was actually used.
According to him, COVID-19-related expenses in 2020 were budgeted for in a total of GH11.1 million, excluding the CAP.
He detailed how GH8.12 million was used to help homes, give equipment and relief for healthcare professionals, support health infrastructure, security operations, evacuations, quarantine and coordination, and economic relief, stabilisation, and revitalization.
Consistencies in data
In the 2021 budget, GH 4.6 million was allocated for COVID-19-related costs, however as of the end of December 2021, GH 3.9 million, or 85% of that amount, had been used.