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Government receives 20,000 test kits in support of COVID-19 fight
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The government has received a consignment of 20,000 test units from two organisations to support the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olam International, a global agribusiness and supply chain management firm and the Singapore-based Temasek Foundation donated the kits.
The test units comprised Fortune Kit 2.0 testing kits and the MGIEasy Magnetic Beads Virus DNA/RNA Extraction Kit, each of which contains sufficient reagents for 200 tests.
The Fortitude Kit 2.0 is used to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is an ‘All-in-One’ kit for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 Ribonucleic Acid (RNA), a molecule in the body cells.
The MGIEasy Magnetic Beads Virus Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)/RNA Extraction Kit on the other hand, purifies the viral DNA and RNA from throat swabs, saliva, serum, plasma, BALF (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) and virus culture medium.
Mr Kenneth Antwi, National Head of HR at Olam Ghana presented the items on behalf of the donors to the government through the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra.
“We have previously focused our efforts on helping to improve the safety and welfare of frontline health workers, but with this consignment of testing kits, equivalent to 20,000 test units, it is our fervent hope that the capacity of the laboratories in the area of testing will be greatly strengthed and help the country win the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic,” he said.
Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, Presidential Advisor on Health, commended Olam and their partners for the donation and urged other organisations in the corporate community to emulate the example.
He said the Noguchi, the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR) and a number of laboratories in the country have played a major role in the fight against COVID 19 and it was a relief to realise that some corporate institutions like Olam have recognised their efforts and are motivated to lend support.
“The work of the laboratories is very important, especially in the light of the fact that the dynamics of the strain of the virus are different from what we see in some European countries. We require more kits for increased testing, which is why we are grateful for Olam’s gesture today,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu said the Noguchi research facility was a centre of excellence, manned by a team which was very determined to prove that given the necessary inputs and support, it could perform beyond the country’s expectation.
“What Olam has done is proof that there is a segment of our society which appreciates what we do here and are willing to help,” he said.
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy has appealed to the Ministry of Finance to release GH¢5.6 million to the Petroleum Commission to enable it to establish and operate a world-class data centre.
According to the Committee, access to the funds will strengthen the Commission’s capacity to manage critical upstream petroleum data and improve its operations.
Speaking during the appeal, Chairman of the Committee, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said the move was crucial to efforts to revitalise Ghana’s upstream petroleum industry and increase oil production.
He noted that although investment and hydrocarbon production had declined in recent years, Parliament’s approval of an extension of the petroleum agreement to 2030 had attracted additional funding and contributed to an increase in production from about 80,000 to 120,000 barrels per day.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised over repeated budget allocations for oil exploration in the Voltaian Basin.
Mr. Bedzrah stressed that funds approved for exploration must produce tangible results, adding that the Committee would require clear evidence of progress before supporting future budget allocations for the programme.
The appeal was made during a working visit to the Petroleum Commission as part of the Committee’s oversight activities to assess its operations and management procedures.
During the engagement, the Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Emeafa Hardcastle, took the Committee through the Commission’s working procedures and mandate, which includes regulating, managing and coordinating upstream petroleum activities.
She disclosed that since assuming office in 2025, government had pursued measures to reverse the decline in crude oil production, sustain output and reposition Ghana as an attractive destination for investment in Africa’s increasingly competitive petroleum sector.
In addition, she said government had secured fresh commitments of about US$35 billion to help revitalise the sector.
As part of the oversight exercise, the Committee is expected to conclude its monitoring visit with engagements at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL).
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
“No civilisation deserves to be annihilated” – Mahama calls for dialogue on global conflicts at UNGA 81
President John Dramani Mahama has called for solidarity and dialogue in resolving global conflicts, insisting that no civilisation deserves to be wiped out.
“No human civilisation deserves to be annihilated, certainly not a member state of the United Nations,” President Mahama stated in his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
He called for solidarity with nations facing terrorism, especially the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and for a uniform approach to conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
On the Middle East, the President called for a return to negotiations, saying “The current Middle East crisis is having a deleterious effect on the world economy.”
“I believe that dialogue can resolve even the most intractable of problems,” he added.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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