Ghana’s Health Minister, Mintah Akandoh Holds Talks With Italian Delegation & Gavi CEO

The Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has received a delegation from the Government of Italy to deliberate on the ongoing collaboration between Ghana and Italy aimed at retooling 37 selected public health facilities across the country.

The meeting focused on advancing discussions surrounding a concessional loan agreement from the Italian Government to fund the retooling project, which was initiated in 2021.

The project seeks to transform clinical service delivery by equipping the targeted hospitals with modern medical equipment, replacing obsolete tools, and ultimately reducing the all-cause institutional mortality rate.

Speaking during the meeting, Hon. Akandoh highlighted key government priorities in the health sector. These include the construction of six additional regional hospitals in the newly created regions, the upgrading of existing regional hospitals, and the establishment of a 500-bed Children’s and Fertility Centre of Excellence, among other initiatives.

Hon. Akandoh expressed appreciation for Italy’s commitment to Ghana’s health sector, describing the initiative as both timely and critical to enhancing health service delivery across the country.

He assured that personnel would be trained to operate and maintain the equipment once procured.

The Italian delegation led by Stefano Gatti, Director General for development cooperation revealed that the Project’s Concept Notes, Pre-feasibility, and Feasibility Studies have all been completed and approved by the Ministry of Finance.

He reaffirmed his government’s readiness to support the initiative through a concessional loan and expressed optimism that the partnership would bring lasting benefits to Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure.

The Ministry remains confident that with continued bilateral cooperation, the project will advance to its implementation phase, ensuring that beneficiary health facilities receive the full complement of equipment required to meet the clinical needs of their patients.

Dr. Sania Nishtar, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), on the other hand also during her visit underscored the enduring and valued partnership between Ghana and Gavi.

Dr. Sania Nishtar visit reflected the shared vision that every child, regardless of where they live, deserves access to life-saving vaccines.

In a statement during the meeting, the Minister of Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, highlighted the progress Ghana has made over two decades of collaboration with Gavi.

These achievements range from the introduction of new vaccines and the strengthening of health systems to expanding access to essential immunisation services for underserved populations.

The Minister also emphasized Ghana’s commitment to sustainable immunisation financing, citing the removal of the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) cap and a 13% increase in the 2025 health budget as key milestones.

Hon. Akandoh announced plans to introduce two new vaccines, the Hepatitis B birth dose and the HPV vaccine with continued technical and financial support from Gavi.

He further noted that Ghana is working to ensure long-term sustainability as it prepares for full transition from Gavi support by 2030. These efforts include the development of an Investment Case for Immunisation and advancing domestic vaccine manufacturing through partnerships with Atlantic Lifesciences and DEK Vaccines, aligning with Gavi’s African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator initiative.