Ghana Broadcasting Corporation

On Wednesday, Ghanaians sought the face of the Creator, God to intervene in the face of the escalating and alarming spread of the novel coronavirus that has plagued the globe.The disease has been described as the greatest medical challenge in hundreds of years.  So far, nearly 400 thousand people have been affected worldwide, about 15,000 of these individuals have lost their lives. In Ghana, the infected number is rising. The disease continues to affect Ghanaians as in other nations.  According the Ghana Health Service, “great majority of the confirmed cases are Ghanaians, who returned home from affected countries. Nationals from Norway, Lebanon, China, France, UK have also been infected. In respect of contact tracing, more than 829 contacts have been identified and are being tracked. One of the contacts developed symptoms and has been confirmed positive.  The situation appears highly devastating and there is no sign of antidote or time it will end. Scientists are wo...

2020 World Water Day marks 27 years of celebrating the Day, instituted in 1992 by the UN, to draw attention to the importance of freshwater and advocate the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year, the focus of the celebration is on water and climate change, highlighting the fact that if we are to achieve climate and development goals, water must be at the core of climate-related actions. While some people do not want to refer to it as climate change, experts agree that higher temperatures and more extreme, less predictable, weather conditions are climate-related. These affect availability and distribution of rainfall, river flows and groundwater, and eventually deteriorate water quality and quantity. Climate change is mainly caused by emission of greenhouse gases, which causes a ‘blanket’ in the atmosphere trapping the sun’s energy within the earth leading to high temperatures. Greenhouses gases are released mainly through industrial activities and deforestation a...

The alarming rate at which the deadly coronavirus is virtually eating up all aspects of social life on earth is compelling all to reconsider what really matters in our relations with each other and with our Creator. Health systems and facilities in even the most advanced countries are being tested as never before in living memory, the global economy and financial markets are seeing grave dips, while international aviation, tourism, sports and all other events that involve physical human congregation and interaction are experiencing a near-total shutdown.  Schools from basic to tertiary levels all across the world are being closed or have been closed for indefinite periods, social rites of passage such as weddings, funerals and even burials have been severely restricted or cancelled altogether. And for the first time in decades if not centuries, religious activities as normal as church services, gathering of Islamic faithful or other liturgical celebrations have been cancelled ou...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded about 5 percent fatality on corona virus, COVID-19 worldwide, with Italy recording 368 deaths per 24-hour, exceeding the Chinese 38 fatality rate per 24-hour. Ghana has 6 confirmed cases without death. Having in mind that, globally, COVID-19 has recorded over 145,000 confirmed cases, 5,400 fatalities, 71,694 life recovery and millions of isolated suspected cases, one will not be surprised with the WHO latest declaration of Europe as global epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic. The degree of severity to which our individual households and community members are susceptible to contracting COVID-19 has triggered mass declaration of national state of emergency as part of the WHO’s latest aggressive measures announced against COVID-19 crisis. Historically, local, national, regional and global state of emergency declaration is the most critical legal tool, used by the United Nations General Assembly in fighting and financing proactive epidemiologica...

Historically there were years and decades where nature or God released a disease or plaque as well as holocaust to reduce population. Those affected are not necessarily the cause of the epidemics but the trend was a wakeup call on all leaders of the world and their people to come to the realisation that there is a Supreme Being in charge of affairs and his commandments must be obeyed. Without descending into preaching the Gospel, one of the most important tenets of the Holy Bible is for humans to treat their neighbours and love them as they love themselves. Is that what the leaders of the world are doing today?  When the coronavirus broke out, it brought to mind the number of times God released plaques on his chosen Israel. Frogs, pests of all kinds, drought and other incidents which led to hunger occurred and chosen prophets were used to deliver God’s anger to the people’s disobedience. Today, where are the prophets?  The world experienced HIV/AIDS which is still with us and...

The World Health Organisation WHO indicates that human coronaviruses are caused by droplets through coughing and having close unprotected contact with an infected person by touching and shaking hands. If these are anything to go by then health systems especially in Africa need not be attacked much as most of the affected COVID -19 countries have very good health systems. We are in times of survival of the fittest by observing simple precautionary measures such as washing of hands with soap regulary under running water using hand sanitisers, practising common cough and sneezing etiquette by covering the mouth with handkerchief or tissue, use of protective clothing or masks and where possible stay away from crowded areas and avoid touching one’s face with unwashed hands. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever and cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney ...

On the 4th of March 1957, one of Ghana’s most important symbols, the coat of arms was out-doored. The need for the coat of arms was felt as the country’s independence drew nearer. Mr. Amon Kotei, a gifted artist with a state-printer was commissioned to design one. According to sources, he worked hard, so hard, that the artwork was accepted as one of the best without hesitation. One would not err at all to claim that Ghana’s coat of arms is rich in symbolism and in actual fact, conveys the story of who we are, where we have come from and where we are heading. As we commemorate 63 years of our independence from imperial rule, the coat of arms alone is able to help us take a retrospective account of our achievements vis a vis the vision of our forebears. Planted on our cherished motto: Freedom and Justice, the coat of arms which depicts the values that identify all Ghanaians from every tribe and tongue as one people deserving equal rights, is a shield with which we should resist ever...

Online passport acquisition processing was on March 1, rolled out nationwide. This follows successful piloting of the online service at various regional offices of Passport Acquisition Centres, PACs. The initiative which is an enhanced service will streamline and sanitize passports acquisition processes in Ghana. Following myriad of challenges confronted by passport applicants, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in December 2016, launched an online Passports Service. This was a flagship programme by the Ministry, under the leadership of a former sector Minister Hannah Serwaa Tetteh, designed to take away challenges applicants were confronted with daily in a quest to acquire Ghanaian passport. To apply for an online passport, applicants are to visit  passport.mfa.gov.gh , to create an account and go through the other application process. Applicants have available dates which they choose in order to present themselves at a PAC, to finalize the process. Th...

Before we join Christians to celebrate the victory and joy of Christ at Easter, let us reflect with the period of Lent.  Lent is a period of forty days in which most Christians pray, fast and reflect on the suffering, death of Jesus Christ for salvation. These forty remarkable days begin on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday but excludes the Sundays within the 40-day period. Christians observe Lent to acknowledge their nothingness before God and seek for mercy and justice. They also emulate their Lord and saviour Jesus Christ who fasted for forty days and forty nights that enabled him to conquer Satan. Christ Knowing very well that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step prayed, reflected, strategize against the devil and kept a focus on His mission to save the human race from Satan’s bondage. How can we, as Christians, learn and emulate this good example by Jesus Christ? Socrates, the father of philosophy once said that, “An unexamined life is not worth living”....

Today is Ash – Wednesday. It is remarkably the first Christian event or festival in each New Year apart from the Christian event of Sunday which is arguably the oldest Christian event or festival. Ash – Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lent Season that is observed by many Christians Globally notably the Catholic faithful, Anglicans and the Methodist. It commemorates the beginning of the 40days and 40 nights fasting and prayer that was observed by the good Lord Christ Jesus before He embarked on his evangelistic mission of preaching, healing and deliverance. It dates back to the early days of Christianity. The day is referred to as Ash because Ash connotes penitence, remorse, frailty and a willingness to submit to the power and authority of the Almighty God. Ash – Wednesday on the Christian calendar is also significant because it becomes a TIMELINE in determining the celebration and the observation of other Christian festivals or events like Easter, Ascension Day and Pentecost day ...