A UAE firm linked to a member of the country’s royal family has agreed to refund about $2m (£1.4m) to Ghana’s health ministry after failing to deliver 3.4 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid vaccine, local media outlets report.

The doses were to be supplied by the end of June, but the West African country had only received 20,000 doses by early July, according to reports.

Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has been under pressure to seek a refund following the findings of a parliamentary committee that highlighted alleged breaches in the procurement of the vaccines.

Sputnik V was unveiled last year as the world’s first Covid jab. But scores of countries say they’ve been let down by delayed deliveries.

There have been further difficulties for Africa after middlemen hike up prices.