According to the Auditor General, the government spent $80 million on vaccinations that have not yet been given.
The African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) received over $120 million in government funding, but only $38 million of that was really delivered, according to the A-G.
The Chief Director of the Health Ministry has been advised by the Auditor-General to renegotiate and pay the remaining sum. According to the A-G, this needs to be done right now in order to guarantee that the state gets its money back.
"We took note of the fact that the Ministry of Health made a payment to UNICEF/AVAT for the delivery of vaccinations in the sum of $120,192,379.80 on behalf of the government of Ghana.
"However, 5,109,600 doses of vaccinations for $38,322,000 were sent to the National Cold Room, creating a discrepancy with UNICEF/AVAT of US$81,870,379.00.
In order to recoup the unpaid sum, he added, "We urge that the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health should renegotiate with UNICEF/AVAT."
In the meantime, the research noted that only 25% (or $5.5) of the roughly US$2.5 billion (or 21 billion) raised for the battle against Covid-19 was put into health.
The A-G also stated that the remaining funds were used for government initiatives like Free SHS and LEAP, among others.
In 2021, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, the health minister, justified his decision not to get parliamentary clearance before entering into a contract with Sheik Maktoum to purchase Covid-19 vaccinations.
He broke the terms of Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution, which states that all international agreements must be approved by the Parliament, by not requesting the consent of the legislature.
The Minister stated that the infection and fatality rates forced him to deviate from established protocols when signing the contract for the purchase of the vaccinations in response to inquiries at the meeting of a Parliamentary Committee looking into the issue.
The Minister expressed his need for vaccinations and frustration over the failure of conventional vaccine supply sources.
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