METHODIST UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

GHANA

TOPIC: HOW HAS COVID 19 BEEN MANAGED IN

GHANA

COURSE TITLE: THE CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN

ADMINISTRATION II

COURSE CODE: MMGT 402

NAME: AKORFA ADJEI

INDEX NUMBER: BBAS/ED/172107

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals. In rare cases, they
are what scientists call zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans,
according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a dangerous disease with
incubation period between 4-6 days. It is fatal especially for those with weakened immune
system, the elderly and the very young. It could also result in Pneumonia and bronchitis.
Since COVID 19 sprung a surprise on the world after lingering on in China for the last quarter of
2019, nations have reacted differently in their response to this menace. As a citizen of Ghana, I
have observed how government, political parties, citizens, scientists and academia, corporate
entities, faith-based organizations, traditional rulers, etc. have risen up to the occasion to be
counted with varied forms of interventions to combat the scourge.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, there were dire predictions about the spread of the
virus through Africa. The continent was deemed a high-risk area for the spread of this deadly
new disease.
However, six months into the pandemic and Africa has largely bucked the trend. While European
and American countries have seen deaths in the tens of thousands – and healthcare systems
straining to cope – we are yet to see the same scenes play out in African countries.
The first two COVID 19 cases in Ghana were confirmed on March 12, 2020. As of July 23,
2020, there have been 32,969 confirmed COVID 19 cases with 168 deaths. The virus has
disproportionately affected southern Ghana 52 percent of cases are in Greater Accra. With a
population of about 30 million the 10th largest in sub-Saharan Africa Ghana now has the fourth
highest number of cases in sub-Saharan Africa (after South Africa, Egypt, and Nigeria). The
reason is that Ghana has one of the highest testing rates when compared to other African
countries.
2.0 MEASURES PUT IN PLACE TO CURB THE COVID 19 VIRUS

The Government of Ghana has been able to manage the effect of COVID 19 through the
implementation of various policies and strategies, and I will like to touch on some of the policies
implemented by government in the fight against COVID 19.

Since the start of Ghana’s COVID-19 outbreak on March 12 2020, President Akufo-Addo has
addressed the nation 13 times. On April 5, the government announced five key objectives in
Ghana’s fight against COVID-19:

1) limit and stop the importation of the virus;

2) contain the spread of the virus;

3) provide adequate care for patients with the virus;

4) limit the social and economic impacts of the virus; and

5) expand domestic capability and deepen Ghana’s self-reliance.

To achieve these objectives, Ghana has introduced a range of public health, health system and
socio-economic policy measures.

2.1 REGULAR PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES

On the 12th of March, 2020, a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID
19 a pandemic, the President of Ghana gave the first of what will become a regular feature in the
COVID 19 response agenda to the entire nation.  He presented the readiness of the Country and
added that the Government of Ghana (GoG) had plans of spending One Hundred Million Dollars
($100 Million) on interventions such as expansion of infrastructure, procurement of materials
and equipment, and public education among others. He advised the populace to avoid foreign
travel as much as possible and gave the assurance that all points of entry including land borders
and airports were ready to screen all incoming travelers.

On the 13th of March, 2020, the President addressed the nation once more to repeat an earlier
report by the Minister of Health together with the Minister of Information on the first two
confirmed cases of COVID 19. He re-echoed the need for all and sundry to adhere to the
COVID19 social etiquette in order to prevent the spread. He emphasized that the COVID 19
fight is not only a government issue but required all stakeholders to get on board and cooperate
with government. These addresses offer updates on confirmed cases as well as legislated
directives.

2.2 DIRECTIVES ON RESTRICTED MOVEMENT

These have ranged from an initial directive on the indefinite closure of universities, schools,
churches, mosques and a ban on all public gatherings on 15 th March, 2020 to the imposition of a
lockdown on the two epicenters namely the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and the Greater
Kumasi Metropolitan Area on the 27th of March, 2020.

On the 21st of March, 2020, the President of Ghana ordered the closure of all the country’s
borders (land, sea and air) to all human traffic and directed a 14 –day mandatory quarantine and
testing for all travelers (Ghanaians or residents) from countries with more than 200 COVID 19
cases. At this time, Ghana had recorded nineteen (19) COVID 19 Cases. This was followed by a
release on 23rd March, 2020, from the Ghana Tourism Authority ordering the closure of all
beaches in the Country.

In solidarity with the Government’s directive on social distancing, the Chairman of the Kwahu
Traditional Council, Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II in a press release on the 26 th of March,
2020, signed by the Registrar of the Council, directed all natives of Kwaku outside of the
jurisdiction (either in Ghana or abroad) to remain wherever they are and not to attempt to move
into the Traditional Area. He said “Kwahus living in Kwahu should remain in Kwahu. No
travelling outside of Kwahu until the pandemic is contained.”

These directives were given due to the culture of ‘Easter Home Coming’ among the Kwahu’s.
He added that because Kwahu has a large aged population, any mingling with outsiders could
expose the already vulnerable group. Though traditional rulers are recognized in Ghana, the
legitimacy of the King’s perceived order was interrogated by the public and the Traditional
Council had to clarify that their press release was an advice.
2.3 LOCKDOWN, ACCOMPANIED BY TESTING AND TRACING

The government of Ghana announced social distancing measures on March 15, and a day later, it
restricted foreign nationals from entering the country. Starting March 22, all air, land, and sea
border checkpoints were closed, and on March 27, a partial lockdown was imposed in several big
cities, which lasted for over three weeks.

As of June 27, 294,867 tests had been conducted in Ghana. At the beginning of the pandemic,
only three laboratories performed COVID-19 tests in Ghana, and this capacity has now been
expanded to 10 labs. A “pooled testing” approach is being used, namely combining samples from
multiple people and testing them together to increase testing capacity. The ministry of health has
also used drones to collect COVID-19 samples from more than 1,000 health facilities.

The government started contact tracing immediately after the first cases were confirmed. All
known contacts of people who were confirmed positive were tested, which was helpful in
initially controlling the spread. A new contact-tracing app, the COVID-19 Tracker App was
launched to help people assess and self-report symptoms, trace contact with infected people, and
help infected people get access to health services.

2.4 ADAPTING HEALTH FACILITIES AND INCENTIVIZING HEALTH WORKERS

7,791 health facilities and 18 intensive care units (ICUs) were used to respond to COVID-19. In
late April, the government announced that three new infectious disease centers would be built.
On April 5, the president announced four incentives for health workers:

1. Exemption from the payment of tax on their employment emoluments for a three-month
period starting April 2020. (This was extended for another three months by the president
in his 13th address.)

2. A daily allowance of 150 Ghanaian cedis (approximately $26) for workers doing contact
tracing.

3. An additional allowance of 50 percent of monthly basic salary for front-line health

workers for four months starting March. The allowance has since been extended by three
months.
 4. An insurance package, with an assured sum of 350,000 cedis (approximately $60,345). It
was increased to 10 million cedis on July 23.

2.5 FINANCIAL MEASURES AND SOCIOECONOMIC WELFARE PROTECTION

The government has introduced several measures to mitigate the social and economic impacts of
COVID-19. It launched the COVID-19 Alleviation Fund to raise funds for the response
including supporting businesses and other social interventions. The government covered water
and electricity bills for the population (100 percent for the very poor and 50 percent for all others
including businesses), provided food assistance, supported small and medium-scale enterprises.
All testing and treatment for COVID-19 is fully covered by the State government in Ghana.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government plans to cut spending on
goods and services, transfers, and capital investment by at least 0.3 percent of GDP to
compensate for COVID-19 spending. On March 18, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of
the Bank of Ghana cut the policy rate by 150 basis points to 14.5 percent, and took measures to
mitigate the impact of the pandemic shock, such as lowering the primary reserve requirement
and the capital conservation buffer. At its May 15 meeting, the MPC decided to launch a special
COVID-19 Relief Bond program with a size of 10 billion cedis (approximately $1.73 billion) in
order to make up the financing gap.

The Ministry of Gender and Social Protection in collaboration with National Disaster
Management Organization (NADMO), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives
(MMDCEs) and Faith based Organizations have been involved in the distribution of food and
other supplies to the underprivileged within the Communities under lockdown.

Though the experts had advised a total lockdown as the key to eradicating community spread in
the two epicenters, government was faced with the dilemma of the inconvenience it will have on
the have-nots who have to live from hand-to-mouth and the economic implications of the
stimulus packages thereof.

The President during his addresses to the nation on the 5th and 9th of April, also announced the
provision of free water supply and 50% waiver on electricity consumption for residents from
April-June 2020. Front line health workers have been offered a 50% increase in basic salary and
a Life Insurance Cover in addition to all other stimuli which the public is enjoying.
As a way of cushioning importers from losses due to the lockdown and its restrictions,
government waived rent charges and demurrages for the months of March and April.

Taking a cue from the formation of the National fund, leaders in certain localities have also set
up support funds to help the less privileged under their jurisdiction. Notable among them is the
One Million Ghana-Cedi fund, set up by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of the Ashanti Kingdom on
1st April, 2020. 

2.6 THE FINANCIAL SECTOR

On the 16th, 18th and 22nd of March, 2020, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and the Ghana Interbank
Payment and Settlement Systems Ltd (GhIPSS) came up with measures such as ease of
transaction and waiver or reduction of online transaction charges, to cushion the public who
undertake online transactions as well as discourage the use of cash so as to prevent the spread of
COVID 19. In addition, the BoG has reduced the monetary policy rate by 150 basis points to
14.5 percent as the central bank bids to stimulate the economy and shield the impact of
COVID19.

 The Bank of Ghana has also provided a 1.5% decrease in the Policy Rate and 2% in reserve
requirement with a Three Billion-Cedi (GH¢3 billion) facility, to support industry especially in
the pharmaceutical, hospitality, service and manufacturing sectors. There is also a 2% reduction
in interest rate among others.

The Ghana Revenue Authority has come up with flexible terms such as a 2-month extension of
annual tax returns and field auditing and a waiver of penalties for tax payers who redeem their
outstanding debts by 30th June, 2020.

The President in his address to the Nation on 27 th March, 2020, mentioned that “Government, in
collaboration with the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), Business & Trade
Associations and selected Commercial and Rural Banks, will roll out a soft loan scheme up to a
total of Six Hundred Million Ghana Cedis (GH¢600 million), which will have a one-year
moratorium and two-year repayment period for micro, small and medium scale businesses.”
In recognition of the key role the media continues to play in Ghana’s COVID 19 response, the
Government through the Deputy minister for information, donated PPEs to the media on the
5th of May, 2020.

2.7 INVOLVEMENT OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has been at the forefront of the battle and influencing
government in decision making as far as the COVID 19 pandemic is concerned. This body is
responsible for implementation of health-related national policies under the control of the
Ministry of Health and together with the Ghana Medical Association have been involved in
public education on COVID 19 prevention, testing and treatment. The Telecommunication
Companies in Ghana have been assisting the GHS with the necessary data for effective contact
tracing.  The Ghana Health Service (GHS) runs a real time online monitoring system for COVID
19 in Ghana. It also advises government on strategies for an effective contract tracing and
management of COVID 19.

The National COVID 19 team includes, the Presidential adviser on health who is an experienced
medic and former Director of Health Services (Dr. Nsiah Asare), Dr. Anarfi Asamoa- Baah a
former Deputy Director General of WHO directly appointed to coordinate issues to do with
COVID 19 at the Presidency; as well as the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Health (Dr,
Okoe-Boye) with Medicine and Public Health background to replace one with Law and Finance
background.

Ghana has two equipped centres of excellence namely; the Noguchi Memorial Institute of
Medical Research (NMIMR) in Accra and the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research
(KCCR) in Kumasi responsible for testing samples from the Southern and Northern Sectors
respectively.

Academics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other
institutions have been producing alcohol-based hand sanitizers to supply the Ashanti Region and
beyond since COVID 19 was reported in Ghana. The College of Engineering of KNUST has also
designed and constructed a ventilator called ‘IBV and KNUST Ventilators’ which is awaiting
clinical testing.

In addition, Scientists at KNUST together with Incas Diagnostics (a diagnostic company), have
created a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kit to help test for the novel corona virus.

The Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) serves at the point of authenticating and
integration of herbal medicine claims into the COVID 19 management and treatment protocols.

The President in his address to the Nation on 5 th April, 2020 indicated that government was
collaborating with the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) and the Council for
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on how to harness well researched indigenous and
modern knowledge in the fight. He also praised a young man who had invented a solar powered
handwashing Machine. The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has since waived off a
certification fee of Twenty-Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢20,000) and has seen to the expeditious
certification of the sample for mass production as soon as practicable. Government is also
supporting some local companies in the production of face masks, surgical gloves, scrubs and
other PPEs. All locally manufactured products will undergo testing and certification by the
Ghana Standards Authority and the Food and Drugs Authority.

On the 11th of April, the University of Ghana released information on the successful sequencing
of SARS-CoV-2 from fifteen confirmed cases in Ghana by scientists at their West African
Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) in collaboration with the Noguchi
Research Institute of Medical (NMIMR) all in Accra.

On 13th April, 2020, the Vice President of Ghana launched the Ghana COVID 19 Tracker App.
He said “It will help us easily track people with the virus, and those who have had contact with
others. It is also useful in quarantine reliability, in case certain individuals need self-quarantine”.

A couple of weeks prior to this, Prof. Ellis Owusu-Dabo, the Dean of School of the Allied Health
and his team at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) had
developed a similar tracking app called Covid-19 TECHBOT.
It goes without saying that the global shortage of PPEs and medical supplies has forced the
country to look inward and harness resources and potential to design and produce locally what is
needed for the COVID 19 battle.

CONCLUSION

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the government has implemented a range of public health
and socioeconomic measures, such as using drones to deliver samples for testing, supporting
front-line health workers, covering the cost for testing and treatment, and providing economic
relief to citizens and enterprises. After the easing of lockdown on May 31, reopening of schools
on June 15, and easing of restrictions on public transportation, tourist sites, and churches on July
26, arguments remain about whether these decisions were made based on scientific evidence or
political considerations. Some have argued that political activities that come with an election
year (including voter registration exercise and conduct of parliamentary primaries by the party of
the ruling government) may have received considerations that likely weighed against the
scientific evidence. The government will have to strengthen data systems to provide clear
evidence that the science supports easing decisions. Again, Ghana needs to urgently expand
testing capacity, and continue to strengthen health systems to ensure that they are up to the task
of moving the response from pandemic to program mode.
REFERENCE
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/
https://theconversation.com/ghanas-much-praised-covid-19-strategy-has-gone-awry-here-is-
why-143217
https://www.moh.gov.gh/president-akufo-addo-satisfied-with-ghanas-measures-to-deal-with-
coronavirus-disease/
https://www.theafricareport.com/27592/coronavirus-is-ghana-winning-the-fight-against-the-
pandemic/
https://www.theafricareport.com/27592/coronavirus-is-ghana-winning-the-fight-against-the-
pandemic/