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World faces choice between saving lives & funding bombs—Mahama
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Addressing a global health summit organised by Gavi and the Gates Foundation in Brussels on Wednesday, President John Dramani Mahama starkly contrasted military spending with the cost of saving lives through vaccination, telling attendees that the $9 billion sought by the Gavi vaccine alliance over five years is equivalent to the cost of just four B-2 Spirit bombers.
“This morning, I took time to reflect, researched and discovered that one B-2 Spirit bomber that dropped bombs on Iran recently cost $2.13 billion,” President Mahama said at the Gavi vaccine alliance pledging session.
He said, “If you work the math, Gavi seeks the value of four of those B-2 bombers. Surely, the world can invest the equivalent cost of four B-2 bombers to save 500 million children.”
He framed the funding decision as a fundamental moral choice for the international community. “It’s a choice we have to make,” he declared, “between taking lives and saving lives, and I am sure we will save lives instead of taking them.”
The call for increased funding came after the President shared a deeply personal account of the impact of vaccine-preventable diseases. He spoke of his younger brother who was crippled by polio in childhood, a disability that led to long-term stigma, depression, and ultimately, his death from alcohol poisoning.
He contrasted his own childhood experience, when vaccine access in his region was scarce, with the hope that Gavi now provides to millions worldwide.
“Today, Gavi has changed all that and given hope to millions of children,” he stated, adding that Gavi’s efforts allow children to grow into “responsible citizens,” he added.
Highlighting Ghana’s partnership with Gavi, President Mahama announced that the country has achieved 97 per cent immunisation coverage, a figure with which he expressed pride.
However, he acknowledged the challenge of reaching the remaining 3 per cent, approximately 65,000 children in remote areas, and voiced confidence that Gavi’s support would help find them.
As a lower-middle-income country, Ghana co-finances its vaccine programmes with Gavi.
President Mahama detailed steps Ghana is taking to increase its contribution, including uncapping the national health insurance fund, which has allowed for significant allocation to vaccine financing.
He noted that Ghana has spent almost $67 million on vaccines in partnership with Gavi in recent years and has front-loaded $20 million for co-financing this year.
Looking ahead, President Mahama expressed Ghana’s ambition to fast-track its transition from receiving Gavi funding by 2030 to becoming a donor country, citing Indonesia as an example.
He concluded by thanking Gavi and the countries that had made significant pledges at the summit, endorsing the slogan, “While others step back, we step up.”
Gavi aims to raise $9 billion over the next five years (2026-2030) to immunise 500 million children globally.
President Mahama argued that this effort was a crucial investment in the future, enabling children to become “tomorrow’s scientists, engineers, nurses, teachers, and doctors.”
The 29th Annual Dagaaba-Frafra Friendly Games have once again demonstrated that sports can be a powerful vehicle for cultural preservation, business networking, friendship and peaceful coexistence.
Held at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra last Saturday, the games brought together members of the two ethnic groups from across Ghana and abroad for a colourful celebration under the theme, “Unity in Diversity: The Dagaaba-Frafra Model for Peaceful Co-existence.”
The event, which has evolved from a friendly football match into a major annual gathering, featured football, volleyball, sack races, lime and spoon, tug-of-peace and a penalty shootout for senior citizens.
At the end of the competitions, the Frafra won four events, while the Dagaaba secured victories in five, with the men’s soccer match ending in a draw.
The Frafra triumphed in the men’s lime and spoon, men’s sack race, women’s sack race and women’s soccer, while the Dagaaba won the women’s lime and spoon, men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball, women’s tug-of-peace and the senior citizens’ penalty shootout.
However, the games extended far beyond the sporting arena. The stadium grounds and surrounding spaces became a vibrant marketplace, with patrons enjoying and purchasing a variety of traditional foods, drinks and cultural products.
Local delicacies, including TZ, tubaani, bambara beans, pork, guinea fowl, local fowls, dog meat and kosie, were sold alongside traditional alcoholic beverages. Traditional dresses and other culturally inspired items also attracted buyers, turning the gathering into an important platform for small businesses and vendors to make sales while promoting northern Ghanaian culture.
The cultural exchange continued long after the final sporting contests, as patrons remained at the venue to eat, drink, socialise, dance and party well into the night.
In her remarks, the Guest of Honour, Dr Matilda Aberese-Ako, said the gathering represented much more than competition, describing the Dagaaba-Frafra relationship as a historic bond that had evolved into a modern sporting tradition and an instrument for peace.
MTN Ghana has been the headline sponsor for the games for the past 10 years.
By Gordon Wellu
By Gordon Wellu
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MTN Ghana has undertaken a tree-planting exercise at the Chipa Forest Reserve as part of its commitment to protecting the planet and support the restoration of degraded sections of the forest.
The activity forms part of the company’s 2026 Sustainability Month celebration held under the theme “Small Actions: Big Impact,” and its 30th anniversary celebration.
It was held in partnership with the Forestry Commission (FC) and the Rainforest Alliance with MTN Ghana supporting the restoration of approximately two hectares of degraded forest through the planting of 1,666 trees.
Due to the current dry weather conditions, 833 trees were planted during the exercise, with the remaining 833 to be planted when the rain commences.
The exercise brought together MTN employee volunteers, officials from the Forestry Commission and representatives of the Rainforest Alliance, demonstrating the importance of collaboration in driving environmental sustainability.
Speaking at the event, the Acting General Manager for Sustainability and Shared Value at MTN Ghana, Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, emphasized the critical role trees play in sustaining life and protecting the environment.
“Trees are essential to human survival and healthy ecosystems. They absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, regulate temperatures, protect soil, support biodiversity and provide habitats for many species. They also conserve water, reduce erosion and help communities adapt to the effects of climate change,” she said.
The District Manager of the Tema-Ada Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission, Linda Ansah, welcomed MTN Ghana’s support, describing it as a valuable contribution to efforts aimed at restoring degraded sections of the reserve.
The Country Director of the Rainforest Alliance, Nicholas Jengri, also welcomed the partnership and emphasised the importance of collective action in addressing environmental challenges.
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