‎The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has held discussions with a delegation from the Global Fund to improve the availability of essential health commodities and strengthen key health programmes in Ghana.

‎The meeting was held at the Ministry of health on Wednesday, September 2, 2026,  centering on Ghana’s co-financing obligations, procurement processes, the clearance of health commodities and the long-term sustainability of programmes targeting HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

‎The Minister for health expressed appreciation to the Global Fund for its longstanding support to Ghana and called for closer alignment between donor-funded interventions and the government’s health priorities, particularly the Free Primary Healthcare initiative.

‎Speaking on Ghana’s co-financing commitment, he disclosed that the country had made significant progress under the Global Fund’s seventh grant cycle (GC7), with approximately US$38.5 million, representing 85 per cent of the US$45 million commitment, already secured.

‎He further indicated that steps were being taken to establish a dedicated budget line for selected health programmes as part of efforts to strengthen sustainable domestic financing.

‎Head of the Grant Management Division, Mr Mark Eldon Edington, welcomed the progress but expressed concern over recurring stock-outs of essential commodities, inefficiencies in procurement and delays in clearing health supplies at the ports.

He emphasised the need for both immediate interventions and sustainable long-term measures to address the challenges and prevent their recurrence.

‎Responding to the concerns, Hon. Akandoh said the Ministry had introduced measures to expedite the clearance of health commodities, including ensuring that shipping documentation is completed before consignments arrive and promoting greater competition among clearing agents.

‎The Minister further assured the delegation of the Ministry’s commitment to address the identified challenges and ensure the timely availability of essential health commodities to support effective healthcare delivery across the country.

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