Coronavirus and The Re-ignition of The Ghanaian Communal Spirit

The Parliament of the Republic of Ghana on Thursday, April 2 approved the report of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee which, recommended the passing of the COVID-19 National Trust Fund Bill, 2020 under a Certificate of Urgency.

The Bill was laid before Parliament on the night of Wednesday April 01, 2020 by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Honourable Gloria Afua Akuffo (Ghana Parliament, 2020).

The main purpose of the fund is to support government's fight against Covid-19 pandemic. The Fund will receive donations for disbursement to individuals who have been negatively impacted by the disease and also make provisions for how the Fund should be managed.

On Sunday, March 29, 2020, Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo inaugurated the Board of Trustees of the COVID-19 National Trust Fund.

The Board is chaired by former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, who will receive contributions and donations from the public to assist in the welfare of the needy and the vulnerable. The members of the board include Archbishop Justice Ofei Akrofi, Mr Jude Kofi Bucknor, Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, Mrs Elsie Addo-Awadzie, Dr Ernest Ofori-Sarpong and Dr Tanko. Mr Collins Asare will act as Secretary to the Board (www.pulse, 2020).

INSTITUTIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS

After this had be done, the communal spirit of Ghanaians was ignited and kicked in, the the donations started pouring in. Several institutions and individuals have donated various sums of money to the fund and that act of giving deserves commendation and applause. This is who we are as Africans and Ghanaians.

The first person to have contributed towards the COVID-19 Trust Fund was President Nana Addo who donated his April, May and June salaries as seed capital for the Fund.

Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emulated the President's gesture by also donating his three months’ salary to the Trust Fund.

All Ministers of State and other top government appointees at the presidency voluntarily decided to donate 50 percent of their salary for the next three months to the COVID-19 Fund.

It didn't end there. The Parliament of Ghana also contributed GH¢200,000 with the Speaker of the House, Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye donating half of his three months’ salary to the Fund.

Some institutions that have also donated to the Fund so far include Hollard Ghana – GH¢100,000, Absa Bank Ghana – GH¢1 million, Interplast – GH¢1.2 million, and Justmoh Construction Limited contributing GH¢500,000 (Dapaah, 2020).

Ghana's Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has donated $181,000 (about one million Ghana Cedis) as its contribution to the fund while the United Bank of Africa (UBA) also donated $350,000 (about GHC1, 925,000) to the fund. The Ghana Exim Bank, through its Board Chairman, Gyamfi Boateng, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lawrence Agyinsam, also presented a cheque of GHS 250,000 to the Fund. Newmont, a mining giant in Ghana, has also supported the fund with $100,000. While The Ghana National Gas Company and the Volta River Authority donated has also donated a million and 2 million Ghana Cedis respectively towards the Covid-19 course.

Board Chairman of Social Security & National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Dr. Kwame Addo Kufour, and the Director General of SSNIT, Ofori Tenkorang, have on behalf of the institution donated GHS 500,000 to the Covid19 Trust Fund.

Notwithstanding the above, institutions such as the CEO’s Network, Ghana, through its Chief Executive Officer, Ernest De-Graft Egyir, have presented a cheque of GHS 200,000 to support the the fight against Covid-19 Trust fund while the Ghana Association of Former International Civil Servants (GAFICS), led by their President, Kwaku Osei-Bonsu, donated GHS 50,000. The Mfantsipim Old Boys Association 2003 year Group, led by their President, Enoch Atobrah Gyamfi, donated GHS 10,000 to the Covid-19 National Trust Fund. Meanwhile, the Ghana Used Clothing Association presented a cheque of GHS 300,000. Boakye Yiadom, Chairman of the Association, Dr Effah Nyarko and Hannah Brown, members of the leadership body, presented their cheque to the Chief of Staff while the Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi has on behalf of GIIF, donated GHS 500,000 to the Trust Fund.

While the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Volta Region Directorate, led by Woanya Makafui, the Volta Regional Chairman of the party, presented GHS 100,000 to support the Fund, the NDC hasn't done so as corporate entity but President Mahama who is the leader and flagbearer has donated a lot of PPEs and gum boots plus other items to frontline health professionals to various hospital across the country.

On the 18th of April, 2020 president Mahama announced that he was prepared to support 20,000 households in lockdown areas. He said "I have in view of the situation many of our people are facing, procured and will be making available, food items to cater for a total of 20,000 households across these areas affected by the lockdown, and these include the areas of Greater Accra, Kasoa and Greater Kumasi".

Apart from all these some prominent sons and daughters including Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, MP Ayirebi and Minister of Information, Barbara Asher Ayisi, MP for Cape Coast North (CCN) and deputy minister for Works and Housing, MR. Philip Longdon, aspiring NPP parliamentary candidate for CCN, Kwamena Minta Nyarku NDC candidate for CCN, Rev Obofuor of Anoited Palace Chapel and host of others have generously donated items to their Constituents as part of the fight against Covid19.

I have been very encouraged by the outpouring and show of love from Churches, Pastors and other individuals who have contributed in diverse ways to help the course of government and this is who we are as a people.

Ghanaians and for that matter Akans are communal people and sharing what we have with the less privileged is part and parcel of our existence as a people. But, say enough, urbanisation, westernisation and the destruction of our extended family system is killing this wonderful communal spirit and something needs to be done about it.

When we were young, anytime my father slaughtered an animal, for whatever occasion, he would share some of the meat with some of our neighbours. This is who we are. They were not part of our extended family but my father made sure we shared with others. This is affirmed by an Akan adage that says, "It takes one to kill an elephant for members of the community to have a share of the meat". This implies that, though an individual might have something, he or she necessarily must not keep all to themselves but share with others who are less privileged or or don't have.

Coronavirus has reinvigorated that communal spirit and the spirit of giving which has been lost on us for all these years. While some churches have done well by donating towards the Covid-19 Trust Fund unfortunately, Prophet Kofi Oduro Leader and founder of Alabaster International Ministries, has explained why it is more important for the church to feed its members with the word of God than to turn itself into an NGO during times like this.

According the story, the man of God has labelled those criticizing churches of not being charitable in this coronavirus period by donating foodstuffs and other goodies to the poor to help them survive after government’s directive of a partial lockdown where everyone has been directed to stay home as unserious people who only think of what they will eat today. He said such people do not think of the welfare of their souls (Ghanaweb, 2020).

This is what the invasion of foreign religion, which doesn't take into account our sociocultural ethos has done to the thinking of people who call themselves men of God. Someone should tell him that, it is the role of the church to assist the state in times like these. Where would the souls of the poor and the vulnerable be for him to be thinking about helping if the physical body isn't in good condition? What at all is wrong if the church decides to assist its members who are poor and vulnerable? Even if they are not members and the church offers a helping hand, what wrong would that have been Prophet Kofi Oduro?

Prophet Oduro further asserted that, he is of the greatest conviction that the Church is a place where Christians go to worship their Heavenly Father and to receive His blessings and that is the sole purpose of the church but not to be giving out goodies as some people perceive (GhanaWeb, 2020).

If the above quote is true then, the prophet needs to be told that he has goofed. The his appreciation of the role of the church in nation building is a suspect. If members of the society are not hail and hearty, they cannot come to church to receive the so called blessing of God he is reported to have alluded to. In the book of Acts chapter 20:35 "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive”. The church including Pastors, Reverends, Prophets, Evangelist, Father's and all those associated with doing God's work must learn to give and not always receive.

In conclusion, though coronavirus has come in its wake with a lot of challenges and discomfort, it also has some positives and one of them is the re-ignition of our communal living and giving back in times of need.

The politicians, the church, the individuals, corporate institutions who have all generously contributed towards the fight of Covid-19, I say ayekoo.

This is who we are as Africans and Ghanaians for that matter. We are a communal people who support one another. Let the lessons learnt from this pandemic linger on and remind us to "sankofa" all the cultural values that held us together.

Let this communal spirit which has shown who we really are be maintained such that the society would care for the less privileged at all times.

Let government, the church and all religious bodies keep hammering on this good aspect of our lives so that, even if we have forgotten, we shall be reminding ourselves of our good old past.

I have been overwhelmed by the extent of generosity that has been exhibited by Ghanaians across the Country. This is who we are and let us all note that, SERVICE TO HUMANITY IS SERVICE TO GOD.

D. C. KWAME KWAKYE

Broadcast Journalist

GBC Radio Central

[email protected]