Ghana government sets up COVID-19 Fund to support needy

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced the establishment of COVID-19 Fund to receive contributions and donations from the public to assist the needy and the vulnerable in a crisis. .

Leading by example, the President has directed the Controller and Accountant General to send his next three months’ salaries – April, May and June- into the Fund.

The Fund would be managed by an independent board of trustees, chaired by the immediate past Chief Justice, Madam Sophia Akuffo.

President Akufo-Addo announced this in his fourth national broadcast, on Friday night, to update the public on measures his government had instituted to prevent the escalation of COVID-19 pandemic.

For two weeks, effective Monday, March 30, residents in parts of Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area will have their movement restricted, except for accessing essential services like food, water, medicine and banking services in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The President thanked all well-meaning Ghanaians including churches, financial institutions and individuals, who had already made donations to help fight against the novel Coronavirus, which he described as a common ‘enemy’.

He encouraged all Ghanaians to continue observing the hygiene and safety protocols- washing your hands with soap under running water, covering one’s mouth when coughing and sneezing, usage of alcohol-based sanitizers, eating healthily and having enough sleep to boost the immune system.

“For the next two weeks, I urge you all of you, especially residents in the affected areas of the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi, to be reminded every day that the front line of the fight against Coronavirus is your front door. If you cross it, you and your family will likely be infected. So, please, stay at home,” the President advised.

As of Friday, March 27, Ghana had confirmed 137 cases of COVID-19, with four deaths and two recovered patients.

Source: GNA