News
‘Don’t scrap COVID-19 Levy …establish separate account, ensure accountability’ – SEND Ghana
• Mrs Harriet Agyemang speaking at the forum
Unlike other groups that describe the COVID-19 Levy as “nuisance tax,” Civil Society Group, SEND Ghana has asked the government not to scrap the levy which was introduced about two years ago.
Rather, it wants the levy redirected to addressing existing challenges in the health sector and a separate account established for it.
It said the current arrangement, where the contributions were paid into the Consolidated Fund, made it difficult to independently track how much revenue had accrued from the levy.
Mrs Harriet Agyemang, Senior Programmes Officer, made the call after presenting details of SEND Ghana’s analysis of the 2023 Budget Statement and Economic Policy read in November last year by Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta.
While advising prudent management of the funds, she said the distinct account for the COVID-19 Levy should as well spell out how the tax was managed and what it would be used for.”
“Until the Finance Ministry comes out to say how much it has collected, you cannot track it [the levy] as you would. This is why we suggest the levy should have [an account] so we know what we are going to use the fund for, who is managing it and how it is being managed so we can call for some accountability every now and then,” she explained.
Mrs. Agyemang added that there were still gaps in the health sector in terms of number and distribution of health professionals across the country, unavailability of equipment, among other challenges, therefore, it was important to put aside adequate resources to address them.
“When COVID-19 struck, we all saw that our health system was not resilient. Communication and health promotion needs to be funded, we need to step up surveillance so that some of these diseases could be identified and nipped in the bud.
“Surveillance is not done only by health professionals but it starts in the communities and we need money to do these. If we were doing it, I am sure the impact of COVID-19 would have been lesser than we felt it,” she added.
She further noted that the decline in donor support for the health sector implied that the government ought to do more to fund the health system and make it more resilient.
Touching on other sectors of the economy, the Programmes Officer urged the Ministry of Finance to release the funds promptly for the projects, initiatives, and interventions captured in the 2023 budget.
“Beyond the budget statement, the ministry should release the funds for their intended purposes. When the funds get to the sector ministries they should also utilise the funds,” Mrs. Agyemang stated.
SEND Ghana, in other parts of its analysis, said although the services sector continued to boom, the government needed to increase investment in the agriculture sector to help reduce importation of essential and basic food commodities.
By Ernest Nutsugah
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
