NDC’s ‘condom’ narrative against Zipline embarrassment to national seriousness – IERRP Economist
Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), Dr Frank Bannor, has faulted the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he describes as an embarrassing and misleading narrative about the work of medical drone-delivery company, Zipline.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, November 27, 2025, Dr. Bannor expressed concern after sections of the NDC questioned the relevance of Zipline by claiming the service delivers condoms instead of essential medicines. He said such comments reflected poorly on the level of national discourse and undermine Ghana’s seriousness in the global development space.
“So now the argument is that Zipline delivers condoms amongst other things and not essential medicine? They’ve [NDC] moved from taking pictures of women to this wack argument? We can’t be seen as a serious country ready to compete!” he wrote on Facebook.
He noted that Zipline remained a critical component of the country’s emergency health response system, particularly for hard-to-reach communities that rely on drone deliveries for urgent medical supplies.
Dr Bannor emphasised that the NDC must avoid trivialising national policies and technological innovations that support public welfare. He argued that responsible communication is essential, especially when discussing interventions that save lives and promote efficiency in public service delivery.
According to him, Ghana risks diminishing its credibility when key national conversations are overshadowed by exaggerated or unfounded claims. He thus urged political actors, particularly the NDC, to elevate the quality of their engagements and focus on issues that advance development.
Suspension of drone operations over unpaid bills
This comes on the back of Zipline Ghana’s announcement that it will suspend operations at three of its centres due to the government’s failure to settle outstanding payments and the lack of clear settlement guidelines from the Ministry of Health.
Zipline Country Director, Daniel Kwaku Merki, who disclosed this in a letter issued to the Ministry of Health, said the suspension include the Anum Distribution Centre, which currently serves Asuogyaman, Lower Manya Krobo, Kwahu Afram Plains North and South.
According to him, while the institution appreciates the critical role its service plays in healthcare delivery across the country, the financial constraints had left them unable to maintain full operations across all six distribution centres.
“I write to formally notify you that Zipline will be suspending operations at three of our distribution centres in Ghana, effective Tuesday, November 25, 2025. While on suspension, the Zipline Anum team will work directly with Regional Medical Stores and Cold Rooms to facilitate the safe return of medical stock currently in the warehouse. The team will be on standby to support the notification of all affected health facilities to aid their planning and minimise disruptions to essential services,” portions of the letter indicated.
Zipline’s impact
Since 2019, Zipline has delivered over 800,000 shipments, including more than 8 million medical products, 17 million vaccine doses, and 23,000 units of blood to health facilities nationwide.
Independent studies have shown Zipline’s impact to include: 56.4% reduction in maternal mortality in Zipline-served facilities, 60% reduction in medical stock-outs, and 13-37 percentage-point increases in immunisation rates, at a cost of just $0.66 per additional fully immunised child, making it one of the most cost-effective health interventions ever evaluated.
These achievements, the statement pointed out, were made possible through strong collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, National Blood Service, and dedicated partners.
The statement further noted, “Together, we have helped save tens of thousands of lives. This suspension is a necessary step to ensure the long-term sustainability of our operations and is not a retreat from our mission.
“We remain fully engaged with the Ministry of Health and are hopeful for a positive resolution that will enable us to resume full operations if circumstances permit.”
