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The National House of Chiefs considers COVID-19 as “a war” which Ghana has waged and must win at all cost no matter the obstacles.

The President of the House, Togbe Afede XIV, said the chiefs of the country had, therefore, taken it as an obligation to play a leading role in the fight against “the invisible enemy”.

Togbe Afede, who is also the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, said this when he led the Standing Committee of the National House of Chiefs to a meeting with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday. The meeting was at the instance of the President.

Rise to occasion

Togbe Afede said it was important that the chiefs rose to the occasion and supported the government’s efforts to fight the disease.

He indicated that the House had also asked the chiefs to keep abreast of the preventive measures and directives by the government and health experts, abide by them and educate their subjects accordingly in order to stem the spread of the disease in communities.

Significantly, he said traditional rulers at various levels in their communities had taken up initiatives to ensure that the people were equipped to deal with the pandemic.

“Everybody here has done something in his community. Some donated material items, cash and have been leading in the educational efforts,” he told the President.

Bold decisions

The Agbogbomefia commended President Akufo-Addo for the bold decisions he had taken that had resulted in Ghana having a very low infection rate of 1.5 per cent of the COVID-19.

“I want to, on behalf of my colleagues, congratulate you on the bold decisions that have produced the low infection rate. The ban on social gatherings, closure of borders, directives on social distancing and the recent partial lockdown of parts of the country; they are very commendable bold decisions,” he added.

Togbe Afede recounted how he recently had a video conference with some international colleagues and partners who wanted to find out how Ghana was faring and he told them that Ghana was having just 1.5 per cent infection rate.

He said it was also refreshing that the government’s measures on combating the disease had largely received acceptance by the people unlike other countries that had recorded public unrest due to their preventive policies.

President impressed

President Akufo-Addo commended the chiefs for their support in the fight both on their individual and collective levels and said the people and government appreciated their efforts.

He said the government would need their suggestions and advice on the way forward, especially, on how to rebuild the country after COVID-19 had been defeated.