Ghana’s health sector faces a pressing financial challenge, as the government will need approximately $25 million to secure the full complement of vaccines required for the year, according to Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.

Speaking during a meeting with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana on Monday, April 14, Mr. Akandoh voiced concern over the declining donor support that has traditionally underpinned Ghana’s public health system. He described the situation as alarming, especially in the wake of global funding reductions.

“It is instructive to note that at this point in time, our partners who assist us in procuring most of our vaccines are gradually fading,” the minister said. “This year alone, we need not less than $25 million to import vaccines into this country.”

This funding gap, he explained, stems in part from the cuts to USAID and global health funding made under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration—reductions that continue to have ripple effects on the availability of essential medicines and operational support for Ghana’s healthcare delivery.

The withdrawal of donor assistance places significant pressure on domestic financing, forcing the government to explore alternative sources to sustain critical immunization programmes. Ghana’s vaccine campaigns, which protect millions of children against life-threatening diseases like measles, polio, and tuberculosis, risk disruption if the funding gap is not addressed.

Mr. Akandoh emphasized that with aid dwindling, Ghana must now begin to take full ownership of its vaccine financing, noting that failure to act decisively could reverse decades of public health gains.