President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the country has spent about GHC17.7 billion in containing the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020.
Delivering the 2022 State of Nation address in Parliament on Wednesday (30 March), the president said, “In all, data from the Ministry of Finance tells us that an amount of GHC17.7 billion (or 4.6% of GDP) has been spent in containing the pandemic since 2020.”
Akufo-Addo said the economic devastation of COVID-19 has, since the beginning of this year, been further aggravated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has worsened the economic outlook of the entire world.
He said, “We, in Ghana, have not escaped this development, and the consequences are being felt in rising living costs at our markets and at fuel stations.”
“The terrible events in Ukraine have a direct impact on our lives here in Ghana. Mr Speaker, 30% of our wheat flour and fertilizer imports come from Russia. 60% of iron rods and other metal sheets are imported from Ukraine, and almost 20% of Ghana’s manganese is shipped to Ukraine,” he added.
“The bombs might be dropping on cities half a world away but they are hitting our pockets here in Ghana. Even so, we have managed to ensure that fuel supplies have not been disrupted, unlike in several other parts of the world.”
