Govt Pledges $500,000 In Humanitarian Aid To Somalia

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa - Deputy Minister of Information

The government has pledged $500,000 as its contribution to the humanitarian efforts in the Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia.

President John Evans Atta Mills gave the directive at a Pledging Conference on Somalia in Ethiopia on August 25, 2011.

Briefing the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the pledge did not exclude other humanitarian gestures such as sending of food items, adding that “other kind gestures are being considered by the government”.

At the recent conference, $351.7 million in pledges were made with $28 million of the pledges being in kind.

According to the United Nations, at least 12.5 million people are among most severely affected and needed urgent assistance else they risk dying.

The AU estimated that $2.5 billion was needed to address the issue of extreme hunger in the Horn of Africa, out of which $1.1 billion had been collected so far, hence it was crucial that Ghana contributed.

Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said Ghana had to make a contribution because of its historical record of “being around”, citing the colonial struggle when Dr Kwame Nkrumah was around to support other African countries in the struggle.

“It is also within the African spirit of brotherhood and live and let’s live,” he stressed.

He said the President was also of the view that Ghana could not be left out in the leading efforts, particularly, when the founder of the party in power, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, was the AU Special Envoy to Somalia.

“What is happening in Somalia is of grave concern to Ghana. It pricks our conscience when we have food while our brothers and sisters suffer hunger and poverty,” Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said.