The result of the tests on some lawmakers and staff of the Parliament and the drop in the exchange rate of the Cedi against the dollar and other currencies are some of the trending stories in the Ghanaian newspapers on Wednesday.
The Graphic reports that the Minority Chief Whip in the Parliament, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has revealed that two Parliamentarians and 13 staff in the Parliament of Ghana have so far tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The report said that the infected persons had been informed of their status after the Speaker of Parliament directed mass testing of all members and staff of the House last week.
The newspaper also said that the Ghana Cedi depreciated against all the three major trading currencies on the interbank currency market last week.
According to data from IGS Financial Services, the US dollar posted a marginal gain as US-China trade tension fuelled investor’s demand for the safe haven currency.
It added that the US dollar made a weekly gain of 0.05 percent to trade at GH¢5.62 on the interbank currency market. The year-to-date depreciation of the cedi thus rose to 1.45 percent.
The Graphic also reported the government has not yet taken a decision on the evacuation of stranded Ghanaians abroad, a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr. Charles Owiredu, has said.
The report quoted the minister as saying that the government had collected a substantial amount of data on such persons from 63 missions abroad and the process was still ongoing to facilitate any such decision and other support they might require.
The Times reports that AngloGold Ashanti marked this year’s Africa Day with a commitment to help sustain efforts to fight COVID-19 pandemic on the continent.
According to the report, the company made the pledge when it joined more than 1.2 billion Africans across the continent and in the diaspora on Monday, to mark Africa Day, at a time the African Union (AU) was spearheading several initiatives aimed to combat the spread of COVID-19 and ensure Africa’s economic resilience.
The Chief Operating Officer for Africa, Sicelo Ntuli, in a statement released to the Ghanaian Times, said: “AngloGold Ashanti is committed to supporting the AU in its response strategy and is working in cooperation with the respective government programmes and stakeholders to roll out a series of hygiene and educational interventions at its sites and across communities.”
The newspaper also said that the Coconut Revitalisation Programme (CRP) was launched in Ho last Wednesday with the distribution 26,416 coconut seedlings to producers of the fruit in five districts and municipalities in the Volta Region.
The beneficiaries are from the Afadzato South, Ho West and Adaklu districts. The rest are from the Ketu North and Ketu South municipalities.
The programme, which is under the supervision of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), is meant to promote the cultivation of coconut in those areas, not only for domestic consumption but more importantly for export.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, who launched the programme, assured coconut growers of good returns for the venture, saying the cultivation and sale of coconut had become a lucrative business for the farmers and others in the value chain in recent times.
GIK/APA