Ebola: Ghana Sends Humanitarian Assistance to 3 Countries

Abuja (NAN) – Ghana on Monday began sending 100 tonnes of humanitarian food relief items to three Ebola-affected countries in West Africa to help feed those under treatment and quarantined in isolation centres.

A statement issued by Haruna Warkani, ECOWAS Commission’s spokesperson in Abuja on Tuesday said the Ghana Air Force had begun the transportation of items to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

It stated that the items were donations from President John Mahama on behalf of the government and people of Ghana during his three-nation visit on Monday to the three countries.

Mahama, the Chairman of ECOWAS, made a symbolic presentation of some  items to the presidents of the countries, saying the gesture was a symbol of solidarity with affected countries, the statement said.

The items were 3,000 bags of rice, 300 cartons of cooking oil, 300 cartons of milk and 300 cartons of cocoa drinking products, all produced in Ghana, the statement said.

Mahama said Africans did not have to always wait for the developed world to come to their aid in times of crisis, such as the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the statement stated.

“We must show love to each other in our own small way,” Mahama said.

The  visit enabled the Ghanaian leader to hold discussions with his colleagues on available sub-regional and international interventions to support the countries in their efforts to contain and manage Ebola, the statement explained.

It added that Mahama also advocated against any international isolation of the affected countries, as such attitude would make relief and humanitarian assistance to infected persons difficult.

He also decided to work with the UN to set up an international logistics centre in Ghana to serve as the main hub for the fight against Ebola in West Africa.

Nigeria, another country that has been affected by EVD, has recorded eight deaths and has largely brought the disease under control.

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