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Don’t let your guard down, COVID-19 still prevalent – Dr Amponsa-Achiano
● Dr Amponsa-Achiano speaking to the media
The Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, has called on the public not to let their guards down as COVID-19 is still prevalent and dangerous.
Consequently, he urged those who have not taken the COVID-19 vaccine to do so to protect themselves from the life-threatening disease.
“Currently about 45 per cent of the population had been vaccinated and we need more people to come out and take the vaccine because COVID-19 is not gone,” he stated.
He made the remarks at BudgIT Ghana’s COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) forum held in Accra on Friday.
BudgIT Ghana is a civil organisation focused on citizen and institutional engagements to facilitate societal change.
The CTAP initiative, sought to bring together stakeholders in the health sector to dialogue on vaccine equity, distribution and accountability following studies conducted by the outfit on the subject.
According to Dr Amponsa-Achiano, the meeting would go a long way to ensure that majority of the population were vaccinated.
“For now, 14.2 million persons had taken at least a single dose of the vaccine, though our target is 18.6 million of eligible persons,” he stated.
He added that, 11.1 million people had also been fully vaccinated and urged those who took only a single dose to complete the dosage required.
“As far as we are concerned, we had gone far though we are yet to achieve our target. The challenge is that people think COVID-19 is gone. There are also people who are just not bothered, while misinformation about the vaccine is also a challenging factor,” he stressed.
“We are trying to make COVID-19 vaccine a routine one so that people can walk into health centres and take it just like a child’s vaccination is done. We would also continue to engage the public,” he said.
The Country Manager for BudgIT Ghana, Mr Felix Ankrah added that it was essential to ensure accountability as far as vaccine distribution was concerned.
“We would continue to work with stakeholders to ensure an even distribution of vaccines across the country,” he stated.
The issue of vaccine shortage, he said, would be a thing of the past if the government and other stakeholders worked together.
CTAP Project Lead for BudgIT Ghana, Jennifer Moffat explained that, they were also committed to setting the agenda for robust primary healthcare in Ghana.
By Michael D. Abayateye
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
