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Help restock depleting blood banks – Fist Lady
The First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, yesterday appealed to the public to help restock the depleting blood banks and save lives, as the country joined the rest of the world to mark World Blood Donor Day.
She said the need to donate blood to the country’s blood banks had become more critical than ever since many of the locations that used to host blood drives, had closed their doors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Every day in Ghana, hundreds of blood donations make the difference between life and death. But with the COVID-19 outbreak…It is now even more difficult to maintain sufficient blood supply for people in critical conditions”, she said.
Mrs Akufo-Addo, who is also the executive director of the Rebecca Foundation, made the appeal in a statement she issued in Accra yesterday in commemoration of World Blood Donor Day.
The World Health Assembly in 2005 designated June 14 each year to thank blood donors and encourage more people to give blood freely.
This year’s theme is ”Safe blood saves lives” with the tagline ”Give blood and make the world a healthier place”.
The theme was to call to action governments, national health authorities and national blood transfusion services to provide adequate resources and put in place systems and infrastructures to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors.
According to Mrs Akufo-Addo, saving lives through blood donation required concerted efforts thus appealed to all healthy Ghanaians to lend a hand in the worthy course.
“It is in these times of crisis, that we must come together to save lives. So today I am supporting the call for all healthy Ghanaian citizens, to be Champions of Change, Please give blood and save lives”, she said.
Her appeal comes weeks after the National Blood Service (NBS) said it was in dire need of blood to save the lives of patients on emergency care because members of the public were hesitant to donate blood due to fear of contracting COVID-19.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NBS, Dr Justina Kordai Ansah, in a new report, said the blood banks across the country had had their stocks exhausted because of the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on us in terms of maintaining blood supplies. More than 50 per cent of our blood donors are from the educational institutions which have been closed down because of COVID-19.
“Religious organisations and corporate bodies who are also principal donors are currently not available because of the restrictions on movement and this has resulted in acute shortage on containment of blood and blood components in the country,” she said.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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GTA CEO and deputy’s clash sends the wrong signal; both parties should resolve their differences – Fiifi Boafo
Former Head of Public Affairs at COCOBOD, Fiifi Boafo, has called for an immediate resolution of the reported communication dispute between the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Maame Efua Houadjeto, and her deputy, Abeiku Santana.
Speaking on Joy News on Monday, October 26, 2026, Mr Boafo questioned the circumstances that led to the deputy CEO raising concerns about his access to the chief executive with the sector minister.
He described Abeiku Santana as a pleasant person who relates well with others and expressed concern about the situation, which he said sends the wrong signal about the authority’s leadership.
“I am wondering what is happening at the GTA that the woman doesn’t want to see Abeiku, to the extent that you write to the minister,” he said.
Mr Boafo indicated that the matter required urgent attention to ensure both officials could work together effectively. He added that if the deputy CEO’s concerns were justified, steps should be taken to address them. However, if the problem was also coming from the deputy CEO, the chief executive had the responsibility to address that as well.
His comments follow a letter dated October 22, 2026, in which Abeiku Santana, the GTA Deputy CEO in charge of Marketing and Special Duties, asked the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, to intervene over what he described as recurring difficulties in securing meetings with the CEO.
In the letter, Mr Santana explained that he had repeatedly requested meetings through the CEO’s secretary or personal assistant but was informed that she was unavailable.
He said the situation had made it difficult to obtain timely guidance, approvals and decisions needed to perform his duties, sometimes resulting in delays in operations, stakeholder engagements and the implementation of key assignments.
He stressed that his intention was not to make a personal complaint but to draw attention to a communication gap that required attention in the interest of effective management and institutional efficiency.
However, in a response dated October 24, 2026, addressed to the GTA Board Chairperson, Ms Houadjeto expressed surprise and disappointment over the concerns raised by her deputy, insisting that she operated an open-door policy, particularly for executive and senior management officers.
The CEO acknowledged the importance of effective communication and timely decision-making and proposed measures to strengthen coordination between the two offices.
These included scheduled executive consultations, a clear procedure for escalating urgent matters, improved coordination of meeting requests, clearer delegation of responsibilities and regular engagement among members of the executive management team.
She proposed an early meeting with her deputy to agree on practical arrangements for implementing the measures.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Medical Doctor and dietician, Dr Bernice Korkor Asare, has urged women to take greater responsibility for their lifestyle choices, particularly their eating habits and levels of physical activity, to help reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
According to her, although, some breast cancer risk factors, such as family history and certain reproductive factors, may not be within an individual’s control, lifestyle choices offer an opportunity for people to take preventive action.
She made this known during a talk on the topic: “Role of diet in breast cancer prevention” organised by Times Ladies Association of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, in Accra on Thursday.
The event themed “Breast Cancer Awareness- Promoting Early Detection, Healthy Eating and Prevention.” 
She noted that having a risk factor did not automatically mean a person would develop breast cancer, but could increase the likelihood of developing the disease compared with someone without that particular risk factor.
“Having close relatives who have had breast cancer, particularly a mother, sister or daughter, may increase the risk, although not everyone with a family history will develop the disease,” Dr Asare opined. Read More.
By Adizatu K. Munkaila
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