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Abolish import tariffs onmedical supplies, PPE – Coalition of global think tanks
A coalition of 31 global think tanks has called for immediate abolishment of import tariffs that are applied by many countries on medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE).
According to them, these tariffs are driving up prices and reducing availability.
They also called on global leaders to avoid export bans, which are exacerbating global shortages of essential medical goods by disrupting global manufacturing supply chains.
These were in a statement issued by one of the think tanks, IMANI Africa, on behalf of the coalition in Accra ahead of World Health Assembly, to be attended virtually by member states of the World Health Organisation on May 17, 2020, in Geneva.
According to the think tanks, customs red tape should be reviewed to keep goods crossing borders as quickly as possible and commit to open trade to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement noted that innovation was crucial to finding a long-term solution to a newly identified disease like COVID-19, including the invention of new therapeutics and vaccines and their mass manufacture and rapid distribution.
“The think tanks call on governments to support needed innovation by facilitating the cross-border flow of epidemiological and clinical data related to COVID-19. They should also avoid pre-emptively removing intellectual property rights from any new vaccines or treatments that emerge.
The world needs more companies to join the quest for new treatments and vaccines, not policies that send a strong signal to stay away. Intellectual property rights are vital to support coordinated mass manufacturing scale-up and global distribution,” it said.
Franklin Cudjoe, founding president of IMANI Africa, was quoted to have said that, “we are concerned that many countries are looking to the failed ideas of the past to address the crisis.
Barriers are being erected that are deepening shortages of medical supplies, undermining innovation and hampering efforts to beat the disease.
His view as stated by the statement was that the situation was compounded in relatively poor and poor countries, where patients are being failed by the lack of investment in domestic health care infrastructure.
“Now is not the time for countries to look inwards. The crisis will only be resolved, and economies will only recover, if countries are allowed to trade and collaborate freely with each other,” Mr Cudjoe concluded.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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Central Regional NADMO hold handing over ceremony
In line with established practices & conventions, the Central Regional NADMO Secretariat witnessed a peaceful change of leadership yesterday, April, 23, 2025 between the outgoing acting Regional Director, Mr Emmanuel Kweku Arkoh Yeboah and the new Regional Director, Emmanuel Kwesi Dawood Mensah.
The ceremony brought the transition process to a remarkable end for work to continue under the new and experienced leadership with the Reset Agenda.
During the the handing over, Mr.Dawood appreciated the outgoing acting director and wished him well in his next assignment whilst urging the staff to continue giving their best towards achieving the set objectives of the Organization in line with the Director-General’s mandate.
CDCO Kwesi Dawood, brings onboard a wealth of risk reduction, professional, academic, military, civil defence, humanitarian, governance, political, climate adaptation, communications, relief mobilization, DVG mobilization, management and disaster prevention experiences which are highly needed towards the Reset Agenda within NADMO Central in line with the Director General’s mandate.
He joined NADMO as a Senior Disaster Control Officer, rose through the ranks to be a Deputy Chief Disaster Control Officer in 2013 and was appointed as the Agona West Municipal Director.
In 2016, he was given additional responsibility as a Deputy Regional Director and was on his way to becoming the Regional Director in 2016 after the retirement of Mr. E. Sandy Amartey, but for the change in Govt in 2016.
Against this backdrop, his appointment in April 2025 does not come as a surprise.
In attendance were former Metropolitan, Municipal & District Directors of NADMO, Management & staff of the Regional Secretariat, staffs from some Districts and Assembly Members from CCMA as well as other stakeholders.
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Gender and Education Ministry hold joint press conference on launch of Free Sanitary Pads for girls
A joint press conference was held today, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at the conference room of the Ministry of Education by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) and the Ministry of Education (MoE), ahead of the official launch of the Free Sanitary Pad Initiative scheduled for Thursday, April 25, 2025, at the Salvation Army Cluster of Schools in Accra.
The press conference aimed to brief media organizations and the general public about President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to ensuring access to free sanitary pads for adolescent girls in schools across the country.
In her brief remarks, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, stated that the initiative seeks to promote menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent girls.
She emphasized that this intervention is expected to significantly reduce absenteeism, improve retention, and enhance academic performance.
The Minister further noted that approximately two million girls in both Junior and Senior High Schools are expected to benefit from the initiative.
She therefore called on the media to support in widely disseminating information about the launch and the broader benefits of the Initiative.
