UN Ebola team arrives in Ghana

The United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) expected to establishment a Mission and set up of a logistics centre in Accra has arrived in Ghana.

The Chief of Staff, Prosper Douglas Bani, led a government team to meet with the UN team.

Ms Safia Boly, who led the UN delegation to the meeting at the Flagstaff House, said about two hundred and fifty (250) UN personnel will be deployed, out of which one hundred (100) will be operating from Ghana.

As headquarters of the UNMEER, Accra will among other things also host a Centre for the training of personnel. The two teams discussed recruitment of additional personnel from Ghana, issues related to customs and aviation clearance, the issuance of radio frequencies, security, health and safety of personnel among others.

The Mission’s mode of transporting logistics will be by air, sea and road. Already some logistics including vehicles have arrived in Ghana.

Ms. Boly said this is perhaps the shortest period between a UN Security Council decision, adopted in New York last week, and the start of actual implementation.

The team thanked the President and the people of Ghana for the offer to host the headquarters of the United Nations Mission on Ebola Emergency Response.

Mr. Bani assured the UN team of President Mahama’s personal and the government’s commitment to ensure fruitful UNMEER operations from Ghana.

The newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary General on Ebola is expected in Accra next Monday, September 29, 2014.

The Ebola disease has claimed over 2,000 lives in the West African sub- region.

The world’s largest outbreak of Ebola has caused 2,800 deaths so far, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

New figures suggest that 70% of those affected have died from the disease.

The figures are higher than what was reported previously.