The European Union (EU) has allocated GHC 1.6 million (€100,000) in emergency aid to help curb the ongoing cholera outbreak in Ghana, which has affected thousands across five regions.
The cholera outbreak, which began in October 2024, has spread to 36 districts in the Greater Accra, Central, Western, Eastern, and Ashanti regions.
By the end of December 2024, the Ghana Health Service had recorded 4,850 suspected cases and 35 deaths.
According to an EU press release, the funding will support the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS) in providing essential relief items such as chlorine for water disinfection, handwashing facilities, and public health education campaigns.
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The initiative aims to improve sanitation in high-risk areas, including displacement camps and informal settlements.
The EU noted that poor hygiene, inadequate sanitation, and heavy rains worsening drainage issues have fueled the outbreak.
To mitigate the crisis, the financial aid is expected to benefit 150,000 people who are at high risk of infection due to limited access to clean water and proper sanitation.
This funding is part of the EU’s broader humanitarian assistance strategy, contributing to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Under a €14.5 million agreement with the IFRC, the EU helps replenish the DREF for smaller-scale disasters that may not trigger large-scale international appeals.
Beyond its emergency relief efforts, the EU is also investing €40 million in Ghana’s vaccine manufacturing sector under the Global Gateway initiative to strengthen the country’s long-term health resilience.
