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COVID-19 positive cases found in some Kuwait returnees—Dr Sarkodie
A number of the 230 Ghanaians who returned from Kuwait last weekend have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The Director of Public Health of the service, Dr Badu Sarkodie who disclosed this at the COVID-19 press briefing in Accra yesterday, fell short of mentioning how many of them were infected but said the service was following up on the test.
“We are following up on the test. We have not finished with all the people they took samples from. There are indications that some of them are positive. We will follow up on these and when the reports are ready, we will share them”, he said.
This disclosure comes less than a week after the Director for Media and Communication for operation COVID-19 Safety, Osei Bonsu Dickson, in a news report upon their arrival said all of them had tested negative to the virus following a test before their departure to Ghana.
“They needed to be taken through serological test, and that took place in Kuwait and all of them tested negative”, he reportedly said, adding that they would be tested again when quarantined.
The deportees arrived on Saturday from the Gulf State, where they lived illegally until the Kuwait government, in consultation with their Ghanaian counterparts, agreed to deport them via a chartered flight.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah told journalists last week that government granted a special permit in their admission in line with immigration and health regulations to prevent a threat to the Ghanaian population.
The deportation came at a time when the country’s borders remained closed to human travel as part of international travel restrictions under Ghana’s COVID-19 Response Programme to avert the importation of the disease.
They were the first batch of Ghanaians resident abroad who had applied to be brought back home following international border restrictions to contain the pandemic.
Asked to confirm that some members of parliaments had tested positive for the virus following their mandatory testing, Dr Sarkodie said he did not have official information on the matter.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Kingdom of Belgium as part of efforts to restore the country’s economic stability after the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2022 and 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, today disclosed that he signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
He explained that Ghana experienced a very difficult period during the crisis, which forced the government at the time to declare a debt default.
However, he indicated that the country is now recovering and witnessing a significant economic turnaround.
According to him, stronger systems are also being put in place to ensure that Ghana does not return to such a situation again.
Dr Forson noted that the agreement with Belgium is the eighth deal Ghana has concluded with countries under the Official Creditor Committee as part of its external debt restructuring programme.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Belgium for its support and partnership with Ghana during the process.
The Finance Minister thanked Carole van Eyll, Ambassador of Belgium to Ghana, for her role in strengthening relations between the two countries.
The agreement forms part of Ghana’s broader effort to restructure its external debts and stabilise the economy following the crisis.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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