Features
Need for Ghana to produce its own COVID-19 vaccine
The challenge facing many countries in the world today is not just the phenomenon of COVID-19 pandemic but how to come out with an effective vaccine that will enable countries to overcome this bitter and frightening challenge which is wiping off substantial portions of humanity from the face of the earth.
It is unfortunate that a time when the world has advanced in science and technology and performing wonders in these areas, we are confronted with a pandemic which is not easy to fight against or eradicate to the discomfort of many people. The world today has been made a sad place to live because of the pandemic and it is becoming increasingly clear that the free lifestyles of mankind can no longer be the same but would have to be modified whether we like it or not.
OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGE
In view of the challenge facing the world, it has become necessary for countries to think about how to overcome this negative phenomenon which is inappropriately frightening the existence of mankind. There is no doubt, from what we see across the world, that our lifestyles have been changed by the pandemic and that no matter what we do life will still not be the same.
Churches and mosques find it difficult to accept this phenomenon because it is preventing them from their normal congregational worship in such a manner that few people, from fear of death, come to these places of worship to dedicate themselves to the Almighty God. Even though dedication to God is important, we all need to take practical steps aimed at ensuring that the COVID-19 safety protocols are carefully and comprehensively observed to make things better than they are now. If these protocols are not observed as expected, the end results will be disastrous for everyone.
APPROPRIATE AND EFFECTIVE VACCINES
While efforts are made to observe all the COVID-19 safety protocols, we also need to ensure that appropriate and effective vaccines are produced to deal with the disease. The production of these vaccines should not depend only on the developed countries that take scientific research more seriously but should be seen as a matter of concern for all countries, whether developed or not.
It is in the light of this that Ghana must also find ways of coming out with its own vaccine to prove to the world that it has the capability to cause wonders to save mankind in the world. This is possible so Ghana must work towards it and tell the rest of the world that it has come of age and deserve to discover such vaccines to save mankind from extinction. If this is done, it will bring glory not only to Ghanaians but to Africa as a whole.
The world is in a way competing feverishly for salvation as far as production of COVID-19 vaccine is concerned in view of the need to make the medicine available to all people to be able to make it accessible to all people as a way of saving precious lives in different parts of the world.
Initially, Ghana organised itself quickly and was able to get some quantities of vaccines to use for the protection of its people. This was due to the dangerous nature of the pandemic which has been able to claim several thousands of lives the world over. Ghana was fortunate to have got some vaccines to vaccinate some of its citizens, having given the first and second jabs to some of its people. After this, however, the other expected vaccines did not come as expected.
HIGH DEMAND FOR THE VACCINE
This was partly the result of the high demand for the vaccine the world over which made it extremely difficult for adequate supply to be made available to people in various parts of the world. India which was producing the vaccine was caught unawares by the pandemic losing thousands and thousands of some of its own citizens as a result, the vaccines they produced was kept saving their own people first before thinking of exporting them to other parts of the world including Ghana.
This together with numerous competing demands from various countries in different parts of the world made it extremely difficult for the restoration of supplies of the COVID-19 vaccines to continue the good job the government of Ghana was able to do and help prevent needless deaths in the country.
NON-RELIANCE ON FOREIGNERS
As at now, the country is still struggling to get some of the vaccines for the rest of its people. In view of this unpleasant development, Ghana cannot continue to rely on foreigners for the supply of the vaccines. If this is the case, then things must be put together, as a matter of urgency, to organise pharmaceuticals in Ghana and encourage them to produce the vaccines to fight the pandemic which, we all agree, is a real threat and tussle in the lives of mankind the world over.
If Ghana, can manufacture its own COVID-19 vaccines, and we believe it can, it will be possible to vaccinate everybody in the country and when this happens, each person will feel safe and adequately protected. Again, producing countries will not be able to continue with their bluff or expect some of the countries to beg them before making the vaccines available. It would also make Ghana stand out both in honour and boldness to tell the world that it has come of age.
LOCAL MANUFACTURE OF THE VACCINE
It is in the light of this that Ghana must do all it can to ensure that all brains are put together to make the local manufacture of the vaccines possible. This can be done so we need to work towards it. It has, therefore, become necessary to think about this issue in a more positive manner. It is for this reason that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that the global shortage of Coronavirus vaccines means that Ghana must develop its capacity to produce its own vaccines domestically and reduce the dependence on foreign supplies.
The President added that Ghana must be self-sufficient in this regard in the future. He also stated that the country ought to prepare better to deal with any such occurrences. To this end, he announced during his 26th Coronavirus address to the nation on Sunday, July 25 that the Committee established under Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has submitted its report. Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng is a world-renowned Ghanaian scientist who was charged by President Akufo-Addo to investigate Ghana’s potential as a vaccine manufacturing hub, to meet national and regional needs.
NATIONAL VACCINE INSTITUTE
The presented report by Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng’s committee has recommended the establishment of a National Vaccine Institute to spearhead this development.This is a positive development that must be vigorously pursued so that the common national agenda of being able to produce the COVID-19 vaccine for Ghana can be realisable within the shortest possible time.This is possible so Ghana must pursue this national agenda with all the might and vigour that it has.
Dr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
Features
The Cop, press and lost fingers
The job of a policeman, whether he is short or tall, is not a cheap one. He is supposed to keep the peace, protect society and monitor the activities of local magicians and money doublers who are specialists in making civil servants lose their pay within seconds.
By far the most difficult job of the policeman is when he is expected to arrest a murderer who is not only armed but also has a record of appearing and disappearing at will. Even if the tough cop is in the company of other policemen all armed to the teeth, his stomach will turn to water when the criminal suddenly appears.
He is terrified not because the criminal is a better marksman, but because nobody dies twice. The problem also is that a criminal might be prepared to die in a bid to shoot his way to freedom. But is the police-man prepared to risk death in the course of duty when he has a family to rear.
If he had just acquired a new girlfriend with whom he is enjoying life, should he not run away with his tail between his legs and tell his boss that the criminal is uncatchable?
Before some policemen go on patrol duties, they actually pray solemnly. “God send me into the wilderness and bring me back safely with my nose intact because I’m worth more than a common rat. I also do not want to die like a stray dog. If a bullet is targeted at my forehead, Holy Spirit please let it go over the bar, because six children is not a small palaver. If I die, who will look after them? Lord keep me safe day by day. Amen!”
The Sikaman policeman’s job is a risky one because he is not properly equipped with even a trained dog to help track down criminals easily. So he has to use his own nose judiciously in sniffing out suspects while making sure a bullet doesn’t catch him square on the jaw.
My friend Sir Kofi Owuo, a.k.a. Death-By-Poverty was telling me journalists are in an even riskier profession. Apparently, he had been reading about the palaver of journalists in places like Algeria and Columbia. Algeria, even women journalists are not spared assassin’s bullet. You’d see them lying in front of their homes with their heads full of bullet holes.
In Columbia, no journalist is safe. When a journalist is leaving home, he has to tell his wife. “Darling, when I don’t come back by 7 p.m. check the mortuary
The drug trade in Columbia has made journalism a profession not worth practising. If you write on cocaine and the harm it is inflicting on society, you’ll certainly receive a phone call.
“Hello, Mr Journalist, your article yesterday was great. Congratulations! We never knew you were such brilliant writer, championing the cause of society. Again we say congrats! But you know something, by your article, you want to take the bread out of my and that of my family. You don’t want us to beak. We are aggrieved beyond measure”
“Oh, I was just… “You’d try to say something
“You don’t have to explain. The harm has already been done by your award-winning masterpiece. We have an appointment with you. You’ll hear from us.
Rest In Peace!” After such a phone call, you just have to pray to your soul, sing a hymn or two and get prepared fort appointment with death. For, death will surely come
I think pressmen in Sikaman would also have start informing their families appropriately before leaving for work now. “If I don’t come back early, I’m probably at the Ear, Nose and Throat Department of Korle- Bu checking a leakage in my left ear due to a gendarme slap from an AMA official. If you don’t see me there, track me down to the emergency ward. If you see a newly-made cripple, I’m the one”
What about referees? These days they are guarded during football matches so that the risk they bear in terms of lost teeth is minimal. Formerly, it used to be a job full of woes and tribulations.
You were expected to oversee a match in such way that would favour a particular team. If that is not done, you’ll get back home and your wife will not recognise you. She’ll mistake you for Frank Bruno who had just lost a bout. When she finally recognises you, she’ll fix some hot water to massage your poor face.
I hear that these days, apart from the protection referees receive, some are well-armed with Damfo Dzai, a kind of jack-knife that can carve a rowdy supporters face in several designs.
My Press Secretary and part-time bodyguard Devine Ankamah, was telling me if he happens to be a referee, he’d surely carry a Kalashnikov AK 47 rifle with him, complete with loaded magazine, before officiating matches. According to him, that is the only way to do the job without fear or favour. Anyone dares will lose his jaw.
Anyway, risky jobs require good remuneration. As Kwame Korkorti once said, risky jobs require risky salary. A policeman would require a good pay so that when a criminal targets his left ear it would be worth the ‘amputation’. Same for journalists and cameramen.
But go round private workplaces and factories and you’d see really risky occupations where workers are receiving salaries they can’t see with the naked eye.
In fact, in some private workplaces, environmental safety is completely absent. Workers breathe in fumes, poisonous gases and risk lung and respiratory problems. Their employers do nothing about protecting them against these hazards. Check out their payer.
In other places, workers have their fingers chopped off on the job, some losing as many as four fingers in stretch. The compensation they get can best be described as “wicked”. Their employers live big, chop big, ride big but are not willing to pay more than ¢120,000 for lost fingers.
Actually the more fingers you lose, the more money you get. So if you intend losing your fingers on the job, it is advisable to lose as many as possible so that you can get more cash. Those who have lost one finger have not benefited much and are encouraged to lose more next time around.
Sikaman Palava is undertaking to investigate some of these cases of very risky jobs in private setups and companies where workers are being exploited to unnecessarily but not offered protection against health hazards, and not properly compensated when they sustain injuries.
This article was first published on Saturday, September 28, 1996
Features
Position yourself for God’s blessings
Motivated by the impending 40-day fasting and needless to add prayer programme, preceding the Greater Works Conference scheduled for August in Accra, I would like to draw attention to how believers can receive blessings from God.
There is a scripture in Hebrews 11:5 that “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: and before his translation, he had this testimony that he pleased God”.
This clearly shows that in order to receive blessings from God, you must please God. How can one please God? You can only please God by obeying him and walking in line with God’s word. Just like how children who obey their parents, enjoy special treatment, so does God deal with his children who obey his word.
There are ways by which people receive blessings from God and holiness is an important criteria in the whole equation. Holiness is a process and not a one day event.
It is a mindset borne out of walking in obedience to God’s instructions i.e. his word. In order to have a mindset of living to please God, requires studying God’s word coupled with praying and fasting.
This helps us to develop trust in God by knowing his nature, what he likes and dislikes. This is what will enable us to live to please him and for our faith in him also to increase.
The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”
Fasting is one of the required criteria for blessings to be released and it goes with prayer because fasting without prayer is just a physical exercise. Fasting enables a person’s inner man to be in tune with the spirit of God and also becomes spiritually empowered to hear from God and also obey God.
Fasting enables a person’s spirit to feed on God’s word in a much more focused manner as compared to studying God’s word in normal times. As a result our spirit gains the upper hand to dominate the body and the soul, so that we are more conscious of the presence of God in our lives which causes us willingly the desire to live to obey God.
Holiness which is a prerequisite for pleasing God, can only manifest in our lives if we are able to overcome the desires of the flesh and this only happens when the flesh is subject to the spirit.
Apostle Paul said that “But l keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should not be castaway”, according to 1 Corinthians 9:27.
In order to bring the body or flesh into subjection so that believers will be able to live to please God, we have to study, God’s word in a certain state of mind which fasting and prayer appropriately provides.
Our minds are the battle grounds for decisions that either please God or the Devil. In order to please God so his blessings can be released upon our lives, we must continuously engage our minds with thoughts that is in line with God’s word.
Philippians 4:8 says that “Finally Brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things”. May God help us to live to please him by meditating on things that please the Lord, so we shall be blessed in all aspects of our lives. God bless.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
