Zipline takes over $500,000 monthly from Gov’t for services — Health Minister

By Isaac Donkor Distinguished
Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh
The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has revealed that the government of Ghana pays more than half a million dollars each month for the services of Zipline drones.
According to him, a clause of the contract signed under previous New Patriotic Party government, requires government to pay $88,000 for each of the six centres monthly.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, December 1, the Minister noted that government is engaging Zipline to ensure that the contract offers value for money.
“And as part of the contract, there were clauses known as take or pay clauses in the agreement… Now, for every month, Ghana government was and is supposed to pay $88,000 per centre. So if you do the computation, we are paying more than, because we are six centres, so we are paying a little over half a million dollars every month for the services of the drones,” he said.
The Minister further highlighted that while Zipline was contracted to focus on hard-to-reach areas and emergency services, these activities account for only a small fraction of the company’s operations.
“But upon review of the activities, what we have realized is that the hard-to-reach areas constitute only 12% of the activities, and the emergency services is 4% of the activities… We are still engaging them to know how we can have value for money. And that is what His Excellency the President has directed us to do,” Kwabena Mintah Akandoh noted.
The disclosure comes amid the suspension of three Zipline operational centres due to outstanding payments and unclear settlement guidelines from the Ministry of Health.
Zipline Country Director, Daniel Kwaku Merki, confirmed in a letter to the Ministry of Health that the Anum Distribution Centre and two others have been temporarily suspended due to financial constraints, affecting delivery to several districts including Asuogyaman, Lower Manya Krobo, and Kwahu Afram Plains North and South.