Ghana’s COVID-19 journey – a statement of leadership

The novel coronavirus disease, first detected in Wuhan Province, China in the latter part of 2019, was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. This declaration was on the basis of the widespread effects of the disease in over 150 countries within three months.

The global panic that ensued as the virus outbreak increased in intensity caused many countries to take a proactive stance in an effort to protect their citizens. Countries that were already affected also strove to reduce the impact on the lives of their people of the disease, which soon came to be known as COVID-19. They also scrambled to put measures in place to stabilise their economies.

The Republic of Ghana, in spite of making active efforts to prevent the emergence of the virus in the country, reported its first two cases on 12 March. Right on cue, the Government of Ghana, under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stepped into action. The government, taking a lead from the actions and inactions of some of the harder-hit countries, launched a series of initiatives to mitigate the spread of the virus and to protect the health and safety of all living in Ghana.

What did the government do?

* Consistent, efficient and effective communication

The day after the WHO declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, 12 March 2020, President Akufo-Addo, made the first in what was to be a series of public addresses and regular updates on the Ghanaian government’s responses to the COVID-19 outbreak. So far, the president has given 17 of these public updates to the nation.

In his fifth update on 5 April 2020, President Akufo-Addo summed up the government’s five main objectives in its fight to overcome the virus as being:

1. To limit and stop the importation of the virus.
2. To contain the spread of the virus within the country’s borders.
3. To provide adequate care for patients with the virus.
4. To limit the social and economic effects of the virus.
5. To expand domestic capability and deepen Ghana’s self-reliance.

In the quest to achieve these objectives, the government initiated a number of socio-economic, public health and health system policy measures, beginning with an allocation of US$100 million to expand infrastructure, procure materials and equipment for the health sector and provide public education on how to fend off the virus.

* Restrictions on movement

Considering the risk of a possible increase in the spread of the virus, a preliminary executive decision directing the shutdown of all educational and religious institutions, as well as a ban on all social gatherings, was announced, effective from 15 March 2020.

With the safety and well-being of citizens the constant focus, the government went on to order the closure of all of Ghana’s borders –land, sea and air – on 21 March 2020. Compulsory testing and mandatory 14-day quarantine of all travellers arriving from countries with over 200 COVID-19 cases was also instituted.

In his address on 27 March, the president also announced a partial lockdown focused on the two main centres of the disease outbreak: the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas.

* Socio-economic welfare protection and stimulus package

In the spirit of transparency and accountability, the president inaugurated a board of trustees on 29 March to manage the COVID-19 National Trust Fund, which was established to receive all coronavirus-related donations, in cash and kind. The president, together with Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, pledged three months of their salary to the fund, spanning April to June. Many MPs and presidential appointees, emulating the admirable leadership of the president and vice-president, also pledged 50% of their salary from April to June to the fund. So far, the COVID-19 National Trust Fund has disbursed GHC32 million to assist the fight against the coronavirus.

The government, through the Ministries of Finance and Gender, Children and Social Protection, embarked on a food distribution drive to ensure that individuals affected by the pandemic in the areas under lockdown were adequately catered for. In his fifth address to the nation on the coronavirus, the president announced free supply of water and a 50% waiver on electricity consumption for all residents of Ghana from April to June 2020. In a compassionate move to ease the burden on Ghanaians, the relief package for the water supply was extended by an additional three months, that is to say, until September, and by six months for the electricity waiver, which is to expire in January 2021 for lifeline consumers.

Frontline health workers, the true heroes and heroines of this pandemic, were also compensated handsomely with a 50% increase in basic salary for the months of March to September and insurance life cover to the tune of GHC350,000 per life, adding up to a total of GHC10 million, as announced by the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, during his presentation of the Mid-Year Budget to Parliament on 23 July 2020. Frontline health workers were also granted tax exemptions on their emoluments for six months (April to September). Contact tracers received a daily allowance of GHC150. And an additional sum of GHC80 million was set aside under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme to serve as the basis for incentive packages for health workers.

To cushion the impact of the lockdown and its restrictions on importers, the government waived rent charges and demurrages during the period of the lockdown between 30 April and 19 March. Over time, the president has made apparent his determination to make Ghanaians self-reliant in a manner that will increase patronage for locally made products, and encourage them to rely on resources and knowledge readily available within the country. In the spirit of this, government has provided support for many local companies to assist in the local production of personal protective equipment.

* Financial measures and interventions

On 19 May 2020, the President of the Republic launched the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme in collaboration with the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI), business and trade associations and selected commercial and rural banks. The programme was designed to roll out a soft loans scheme for micro, small and medium-sized businesses of up to GHC600 million, with a one-year moratorium and a two-year repayment period. As of the end of the first week of September, the government had delivered on its promise, with about 150,000 applicants already benefiting from these funds.

The Bank of Ghana, in co-operation with the Ghana Interbank Payments and Settlements Systems (GhIPSS) Ltd, eased transactions, instituted waivers and put in place measures to reduce online transaction charges to discourage the use of physical cash, a possible cause for the spread of the virus, and also to cushion members of the public undertaking online transactions. In a measure to stimulate the economy and shield it from the impact of the coronavirus, the central bank also slashed the monetary policy rate by 150 basis points to 14.5% and decreased the fiscal policy rate by 1.5% and 2% in reserve requirement, with a GHC3 billion facility to support certain sectors as pharmaceuticals, hospitality, services and manufacturing. This was done in tandem with a 2% reduction in interest rates on loan facilities.

The Ghana Revenue Authority also awarded a two-month extension on annual tax returns and field auditing, as well as a waiver of penalties for taxpayers, who were required to redeem their outstanding debts by 30 June 2020.

* Disinfection of schools, markets and lorry stations

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, in response to a presidential directive, commenced the disinfection of all open spaces, markets and lorry stations, starting in the Greater Accra Region.

The Ministry of Education, in partnership with Zoomlion Company Ltd, also disinfected senior high, special and technical schools, as well as tertiary institutions, in preparation for students’ return to the classroom.

* Amnesty to prisoners

On 26 March, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo granted an amnesty to 808 prisoners on the recommendation of the Prison Service Council, in consultation with the Council of State and in accordance with the constitution of Ghana.

He announced an amnesty for another 794 prisoners in June, bringing the total of releases to 1,602.

It was a laudable move by the president, aimed at decongesting the prisons.

* Testing, management and treatment infrastructure

Between March and mid-July, over 370,000 tests had been conducted in Ghana, making it one of the countries in the WHO Africa region with most tests per 100,000 people. With only three laboratories performing COVID-19 tests at the start of the pandemic, the capacity was expanded to ten laboratories. The Ministry of Health also incorporated use of drones to collect COVID-19 test samples from over 1,000 health facilities in the country.

The government was very proactive in launching contact tracing immediately after the first confirmed cases. All identified contacts of persons confirmed with the virus were tested accordingly.

The COVID-19 Tracker app was launched in April and further upgraded and relaunched in September 2020 to assist members of the public to assess and self-report symptoms of the virus, trace any contact with infected individuals, and help infected people access the required health services.

On 17 August 2020, President Akufo-Addo held a virtual sod-cutting event for a 100-bed infection diseases centre in Accra. Building work has been completed and Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned the centre for use. With the focus on improving the health sector, the president has announced plans to commence building 88 new district and six regional hospitals in the newly created regions.

* Legislation

To prosecute the fight against the virus, the president passed five executive instruments which acted as legal backing for all orders issued during the period of the pandemic. They are:

1. EI 63 – the “Establishment of Emergency Communications System” Instrument 2020, gazetted on 23 March 2020;
2. EI 64 – the “Imposition of Restrictions (Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic)” Instrument 2020, gazetted on 23 March 2020;
3. EI 65 – the “Imposition of Restrictions (Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic) (No2)” Instrument 2020, gazetted on 30 March 2020;
4. EI 66 – the “Imposition of Restrictions (Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic) (No3)” Instrument 2020, gazetted on 3 April 2020;
5. EI 164 – the Imposition of Restrictions Act 2020 (Act 1012), signed and gazetted on 15 June 2020.

Gradual easing of restrictions / opening up the economy

In his address to the nation on 19 April 2020, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, lifted the lockdown imposed on the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas. He understood and empathised with the need for Ghanaians to return to regular work, as they needed to make a living. However, he encouraged Ghanaians to be vigilant and adhere to all the safety protocols, including the compulsory wearing of face masks in public places.

With the gradual opening-up of the economy, domestic flights and international flights resumed on 1 May and 1 September 2020, respectively, after a thorough disinfection exercise was carried out and screening processes for passengers were instituted.

Mandatory testing, at a cost of $150 and with an accuracy of between 99% and 100%, is now carried out on all passengers entering the country. The screening process has been described as relatively short and convenient for all passengers, with a maximum waiting time for results of just 30 minutes. As of 19 September 2020, a total of 10,061 passengers have been tested at Kotoka International Airport.

Educational institutions reopened in mid-June, after a relatively long break which began in March. Final-year students in junior high, senior high and tertiary institutions were allowed to return to school on 15 June to prepare and sit for their final examinations. Face masks were distributed to students free of charge in order to ensure their safety and help curb the spread of the virus. Heads of educational institutions were ordered to ensure strict adherence and compliance to all safety protocols among students. Cases began to emerge at some high schools, over 200 personnel of which were deployed immediately to monitor and manage. With all incidents dealt with and no further cases emerging, students were able to complete their examinations successfully.

After being first closed down and then restricted to services with no more than 25 people, including celebrants, religious institutions were allowed to hold gatherings with a maximum number of 100 present, with services not exceeding an hour. The bans on weddings and funerals were also eased on, allowing a cap of 100 people per event. The cap on persons allowed for religious congregations was later removed, with the duration being extended to two hours for each meeting.

Public institutions such as the Electoral Commission (EC) and National Identification Authority (NIA) were allowed to resume duties, with instructions to strictly adhere to all safety protocols. The EC completed its mop-up registration on 8 September 2020 with over 17 million individuals on the voters’ register. It announced a one-off, one-day-only further extension of registration on 1 October, in response to pleas by the main opposition party. It also extended its schedule for exhibiting the register to Sunday 27 September, spanning a total of ten days. The NIA had successfully registered 15,320,154 people with the Ghana Card as of 9 September 2020.

All political events relating to the general elections to be held on 7 December 2020 resumed, recent highlights being the New Patriotic Party primaries, acclamation of flagbearers for the National Democratic Congress, NPP and other parties, the election of the presidential candidate for the CPP, and the launch of manifestos by the NPP and then the NDC.

As of 27 September 2020, Ghana’s active cases stand at 506, with 46,222 confirmed cases in total (starting in March), 69 new cases, 299 deaths and 45,417 recoveries. Ghana has experienced a gradual decrease in the number of infections. The death rate continues to be low at 0.5%, as against a very high increase in recoveries, with the current recovery rate pegged above 95%.

The government responded to the first signs of the pandemic with a remarkable swiftness that is worthy of praise. It has also done well to maintain consistency in communication, ensure transparency and accountability in the decision-making process, and clarity in setting policies to be implemented for the sake of Ghanaians.

Laudable though its reaction to the pandemic has been, the opposition could have partnered with the government, showing unity of purpose to Ghanaians in these trying times and actually contributing to the fight, rather than inaugurating a separate team, giving the impression of a competition for public favour. It could have chosen to send a message to Ghanaians that, in times of disaster and tragedy, politicians are capable of setting aside their differences and focusing on serving humanity.

His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo demonstrated peace and unity in the fight against the coronavirus as he invited leaders from all the political parties for discussions on how they could work together to tackle the virus. His commendable leadership, coupled with his strategic management of the virus, is one that is believed to resonate deeply within the hearts and minds of Ghanaian citizens and many others across the world, who appreciate that it has taken the president’s decisive, bold and visionary leadership to steer the country through the stormy waters of the coronavirus outbreak.

Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, executive director, Kandifo Institute

palgrave@pbdanquah.com

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