The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has earned the love and respect of all Ghanaians. Ghana sets an example for African leaders to borrow a leaf and lessen the burden of the less privileged in these perilous times. Over the next three months, the government will pay all Ghanaians’ water bills. It will also exempt health workers from paying tax and increase their salary. During the broadcast, he lauded all the citizens who are at the frontline in the fight against the Coronavirus.
This initiative begins in April as one of the measures to reduce COVID-19’s socio-economic effects on men. Private and public water companies will put tanks in place to ensure that all marginalized populations have water. The President of Ghana declared on Sunday, the power supply to residents will not be cut. Water Company Limited and the Electricity Company of Ghana will secure the supply of water and energy during the mobility restriction era.
Through his fifth national broadcast on Sunday night, 5 April, President Akufo-Addo revealed these opportunities and other improved initiatives for the elimination of the COVID-19 transmission.
Ghanaians Given favorable Loans with a Full Year Payment Suspension
The State of Ghana will introduce a soft loan scheme of up to GHc600 million. This is in partnership with the (NBSSI), Business and Trade Associations and selected commercial and local banks. The president ordered the banks to suspend the loan payments for one year. Later, after two years, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) will repay.
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Security, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Faith-based organizations and numerous assemblies are also collaborating to distribute 400,000 food parcels to needy citizens. This would arise in 40 locations in the Metropolitan Areas of Greater Accra and Kumasi, where there was limited travel by Monday 30 March.
The Hotspots in Ghana
The Ministry of Transport has placed “Aayololo” buses at disposal to transport health workers, for free, to and from work along different routes. This is at the hotspots of Accra, Tema, Kasoa, and Kumasi and will last for the period of the sanctions. On defense, the President said he has mobilized more senior security forces to implement the mobility restrictions at the COVID-19 hotspots. This will improve intelligence gathering at an administrative level.
“I’m fully aware of the disruptions to your lives accessioned by these measures,” the President noted. Your movements, way of life, the education of your children, your livelihoods, have all been disturbed by these measures. These measures, I believe are necessary, if we are to free ourselves permanently of this pestilence”.
The Ghanaian Five Strategic Objectives
The president appreciated the people for their support to date. He commended Ghanaians for displaying the Ghanaian integrity and national spirit to the rest of the world. Nevertheless, he warned that the few deviants – defense and civil – the statute will confront them. Ghana reported 214 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday 5th of April, with five deaths and three recovered individuals. Greater Accra has 189 positive cases in total. Ghana registered twelve coronavirus cases in Ashanti and ten in the Northern Region. The Upper North, the Upper East, and the Western provinces have one case each.
The President clarified all the steps the government has taken to accomplish the five strategic goals. Initially, the government is endeavoring to restrict and halt the Coronavirus influx and its effects on the Ghanaians social-economic existence. The initiatives will control the spread of the virus and give the sick enough care. Finally, the Ghanaian government is aiming at promoting the extension and development of self-competence.
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