President John Mahama has agreed to a request from the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, for the use of Ghana as the logistics base for the international fight against Ebola in West Africa.
This follows a Friday evening telephone conversation between President Mahama and Mr. Ban Ki-moon. The UN and other International Organisations will therefore use Accra as a Centre for airlifting supplies and personnel to the most affected countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Following the outbreak of the Ebola virus, most of the regular commercial flights into the affected areas have been suspended, making it difficult for equipment, logistics and personnel to reach the affected nations.
Using Accra as the Logistics and Coordination Centre would therefore open a vital corridor to get urgently-needed supplies and health personnel into the affected countries and areas. The United Nations and Ghana will work closely to put in place appropriate screening and prevention measures to avoid any adverse effects on Ghana as a result of the operations of the Logistics Centre.
The UN has also offered to assist Ghana in reviewing and strengthening the country’s Ebola preparedness, as steps area taken to prevent the virus from entering the country.
Source: Flagstaff House