The MTN Ghana Foundation, in partnership with the East­ern Regional Blood Bank, has organised the annual blood donation exercise to mark the Valentine’s Day celebration.

The exercise took place at the Manya Krobo Senior High School in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, and was on the theme: ‘Safe blood saves lives.’

The student donors were taken through a health checklist, including age, blood level, and weight to ensure health safety before donation, and after which they were provided with milk, milo, and other foods to replen­ish their blood.

Mr Ransford Gyan, the MTN Gha­na Sales Manager for Eastern, Volta, and Oti regions, told the Ghana News Agency that the foundation had a target of about 6000 people partaking in the blood donation exercise across the 16 regions.

“Our belief is that we will get the target set this year to assist in easing the country’s blood shortage. Donat­ing blood is a benevolent act of soli­darity, why don’t you join the effort and help save lives,” he quizzed.

He said at the initial stage of the blood donation exercise introduced by the MTN Ghana Foundation, it was limited to MTN staff but now opened up to the society.

Ms Philomina Quayson, Eastern Re­gional Blood Bank Donor Organiser at the Regional Hospital, said, “Blood is an essential commodity in the hos­pital because it helps patients who have accidents, surgeries, or medical conditions.

So, I encourage individuals to save lives by visiting any government hospi­tals to donate blood.”

She said persons 17 years and above, who are free from health con­ditions such as sickle cell and hyper­tension could donate.

She urged the public to donate blood as it was good and safe.

Master Kingsley Nartey, a student of Manya Krobo Senior High School, said, “Today is my first time to participate in this exercise and I was panicking but after going through the process­es, I realised it was not painful and scary.” —GNA

The Defence Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has called on Ghanaians to recognise and appreciate the sacrifices of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), empha­sising that their dedication is the key reason for the nation’s peace and stability.

Dr Boamah made the remarks during his maiden interaction with members of the Defence Press Corps (DPC) in Accra on Monday.

The Defence Minister urged Ghanaians to support and respect the Armed Forces, highlighting their contribu­tions beyond combat roles. He cited instances where military engineers have provided rapid solutions to infrastructure challenges, such as bridge construction for isolated com­munities.

“Our soldiers work tire­lessly, often behind the scenes, to ensure national security. Their role in disaster response, peacekeeping, and infrastructure development must be recognised and ap­preciated,” Dr Boamah added.

The Minister also highlight­ed the government’s resolve to complete all ongoing mili­tary infrastructure projects, some of which dates back to 2010.

He stressed the need to cultivate a culture of finishing existing projects before em­barking on new ones, noting that proper financing should always be secured to prevent project abandonment.

“We must learn to com­plete projects as much as possible. When financing is unclear, projects remain un­finished, which should not be the case,” Dr Boamah stated.

He also mentioned inno­vative financing strategies, including leveraging climate funds for infrastructure projects that contribute to environmental sustainability, such as transitioning to ener­gy-efficient lighting systems in military installations.

Addressing the housing deficit within the armed forc­es, Dr Boamah disclosed that the military requires about 17,000 additional housing units. He discussed various strategies, including potential public-private partnerships (PPPs) and mixed housing models, where some person­nel may be deliberately inte­grated into civilian communi­ties to enhance security while maintaining a strong presence in the barracks.

“There are advantages when security personnel live among civilians, as it deters crime. However, we must also maintain a significant stand­by force within the barracks to ensure rapid deployment when necessary,” he ex­plained.

Dr Boamah expressed con­cern over the devastating ef­fects of illegal mining (galam­sey) on Ghana’s environment, particularly water bodies. He revealed that pollution levels in some areas have reached unprecedented levels, making water treatment extremely difficult.

“The Ghana Armed Forces is ready and willing to assist the government in addressing environmental challenges. We need a collective effort to combat the illegal mining menace,” he said.

 By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu