EU de-lists Ghana from money laundering countries, picks her as Africa’s COVID-19 Vaccine manufacture hub

The decision follows meetings held between President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as well as at the European Commission, during his two-day working visit to Brussels, Belgium.

A statement issued by the Communications Directorate of the Jubilee House on Friday said as a consequence of the meetings, the European Union acknowledged the efforts Ghana had made in implementing the action plan of the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) in record time.

It said the Commission congratulated Ghana for the reforms embarked on, as well as the sustainable, robust systems deployed towards being taken of the list.

“The European Union acknowledged the efforts Ghana has made in implementing the action plan of the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) in record time. The Commission, thus, congratulated Ghana for the reforms embarked on, as well as the sustainable, robust systems deployed towards being taken off the list, ” the release added.

Consequently, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, is expected to announce in June 2021, that Ghana has been taken off its list of high risk, third-world countries with strategic deficiencies in Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Terrorism Financing.

The statement said that the European Commission indicated the selection of Ghana as a possible manufacturing hub for COVID-19 vaccines in Africa.

This, according to the Commission, follows the initiatives already taken by the Government of Ghana towards the domestic manufacturing of vaccines.

The taskforce teams from the EU and Ghana will meet shortly to discuss modalities towards the realization of this initiative, which, in principle, could be supported by the European Investment Bank (EIB).