President John Dramani Mahama has instructed the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, to take urgent steps to address a significant funding gap following the suspension of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding program.
In a statement issued by the Presidency on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, the President expressed deep concern over the estimated $156 million funding gap.
He highlighted the potential repercussions of a projected $78.2 million shortfall, which threatens key healthcare interventions, including malaria prevention, maternal and child health, family planning, reproductive health, nutrition, and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Additionally, the statement noted that the disruption in funding could affect the availability of antiretroviral drugs, testing, and prevention programs.
It also emphasised the need for urgent action to ensure that these critical health services remain uninterrupted.
“The President has requested that the bridging arrangements focus on these priority areas to mitigate any deleterious effects occasioned by the USAID funding disruptions,” the statement, signed by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, read.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was established in the early 1960s to administer humanitarian aid programs on behalf of the U.S. government worldwide.
It employs around 10,000 people, two-thirds of whom work overseas. It has bases in more than 60 countries including Ghana and operates in dozens of others. However, most of the work on the ground is carried out by other organisations that are contracted and funded by USAID.
The range of activities it undertakes is vast as the organisation does not only provide food in countries where people are starving, but it also operates the world’s gold-standard famine detection system, which uses data analysis to predict where food shortages are emerging.
Much of USAID’s budget is spent on health programs, such as offering polio vaccinations in countries where the disease still circulates and helping to stop the spread of viruses that have the potential to cause a pandemic.
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