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Schools are not re-opening now… consultations are ongoing on easing restrictions – Info Minister

The government has clarified that it has no plans of re-opening schools anytime soon until it has exhausted all consultations there is, to ensure a safe environment for both students and teachers.
The Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah debunking reports that government intends to re-open educational institutions that have remained shut since March this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, maintained that, “what we are doing is consultation on what it takes to re-open schools.”
“If there has been a misspeak anywhere, just to put it in its right context, we are not re-opening schools. Rather, we are holding consultations as part of the potential easing of the general restrictions that we are living under,” he stressed.
The Minister who made the statement at a press briefing in Accra yesterday used the opportunity to elicit a national conversation on how to get life back to normal amidst dealing with the global pandemic.
According to him, “the world is realising that measures like lockdowns and restrictions cannot continue in perpetuity and we would have to learn to live with the new normal.”
Thus, government needed broader views from the citizenry to make a firm decision moving forward, for the benefit of all, while ensuring that gains made in the fight against COVID-19 were not disrupted.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah who took notice of the rising public sentiments on whether or not to allow students back to school advised that “we channel these apprehensions and worries towards answering the question; what does it take, what should be the indication of the good time, what would be the best way to protect teachers, non-teachers and students if we are to open up at some point?”.
“The government believes that as a nation we can do many things if we put our mind to it and we invite the nation to engage in this conversation looking at the fact that there is no vaccine, we do not know when exactly one will be validated and we will have to live with this,” he said.
Touching on the Madagascar COVID-19 cure, Mr Nkrumah reiterated that government had not received the drug yet contrary to media reports claiming so.
“The reports that Ghana has requested for or that we have received and we are testing a cure from Madagascar is incorrect. What we have said is that they have reached out to us as they have done with many other countries and what we will do is to test it.
“We will take it through the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and Centre for Plant Medicine before making a decision on it,” he said.
Many teacher unions and educational organisations have warned against the re-opening of schools should President Akufo-Addo decide not to extend the 31st May deadline on ban on social gatherings.
According to the groups, conditions are not rife for the safe reopening of schools given that the spread of COVID-19 remains very exponential in the country.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal

Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
