AFRICA’S GOVERNANCE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 | PRELIMINARY REPORT 2020 Box 5: COVID-19 Fund for SMEs in Ghana Ghana Soon after the confirmation of its first COVID-19 case on 12 March 2020, the Republic of Ghana, under the leadership of Nana Akufo-Addo, put in place a series of measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. These measures include banning travel into Ghana; restrictions on movements; resourcing research and testing laboratories; and social interventions. On 30 March 2020, the president announced the imposition of partial lockdown for an initial period of two weeks from March 30. After its extension by one more week, the lockdown was finally lifted on 19 April. Additional measures include the local production and supply of personal protective equipment, enhanced surveillance, including intensive contact tracing and laboratory testing, and intensive public education. The government established a COVID-19 National Trust Fund aimed at assisting the needy and the most vulnerable in the society. The Ghanaian private sector also set up a COVID-19 Fund worth GHc100 million to complement the efforts of government. As part of its support to small and medium enterprises, the government has allocated the amount of GHc600 million (about $109 million) in soft loans to small and micro enterprises (SMEs) to sustain the country’s affected industries. The President initiated a national dialogue with key national stakeholders, namely opposition political parties, organised labour and health professionals among others, to jointly discuss a coordinated approach to the fight against the deadly virus. 42