Health Minister-designate Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has said an amount of USD100 million allocated to the ministry to fight the deadly COVID-19 has been exhausted.

The Dormaa Central MP disclosed this when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, 10 February 2021.

According to Mr Agyeman-Manu, however, a World Bank loan facility of USD120 million secured to fight the virus is almost maturing.

He said: “The Ministry of Health initially got USD100 million allocation to spend on COVID-19".

“That amount has been exhausted, and we have got another money that is just about to mature for the Ministry to utilise which is about USD120 million from the World Bank, and it is a loan.”

In an address to the nation on Wednesday, 11 March 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo noted that he had directed the Minister for Finance, at the time, Ken Ofori-Atta to make an amount of USD100 million available to augment the country’s response plan and preparedness to the virus.

President Akufo-Addo further explained that the USD100 million “is to fund the expansion of infrastructure, purchase of materials and equipment, and public education.”