Republic Bank Ghana Limited has donated GHC200,000 as its contribution towards the construction of an infectious disease isolation and treatment centre at the Ga East Hospital in Accra.

The 100-bed facility is being built under the auspices of the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund as part of the national effort to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Ghana. It is expected to be completed by the end of May to help treat critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Making the donation on behalf of Republic Bank in Accra, Chief Executive Officer Farid Antar applauded the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund for the initiative. He said the donation forms part of the company’s commitment to supporting the government in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

He stressed the bank’s confidence that funds invested in the facility, which he described as “long-lasting”, will be money well-spent for a good cause.

“Life continues after COVID-19, and we will always be challenged with one event or the other. So, building a structure that has a long-term benefit is one we see as an ideal thing,” Mr. Antar said.

He congratulated the entire team working on the facility for an “excellent” job done and said he was looking forward to the completion of the project at the end of May.

Accepting the donation on behalf of the Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund, Board Chair of Fidelity Bank, Edward Effah, who is also one of the Trustees of the Fund, expressed gratitude to Republic Bank Ghana Limited for their support.

“We are on track to deliver it,” Mr. Effah said. “As the private sector, we can move faster and we bring other benefits to the table. So, I believe your money coming here will go further.”

The Ghana COVID-19 Private Sector Fund is an initiative by private business people who set it up with a seed fund of One Million Ghana Cedis, while campaigning to raise at least One Hundred Million Ghana Cedis from local and international businesses as well as the general public to aid the fight against COVID-19 in Ghana.