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In an effort to increase compliance and adherence to the safety protocols, the Ministry of Information and Ghana Health Service have provided a one-day training and sensitization workshop for the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs.

The workshop is aimed to equip the chiefs and queen mothers to enable them to sensitize their subjects on community ownership of the COVID-19 preventive protocols. By this, the chiefs and queen mothers are to lead community-level education on COVID-19.

The Director of Health Promotion and Leader of National Risk Communication and Social Mobilization Committee for Ghana's COVID-19 Response Team, Dr. Da costa Aboagye leading the workshop, focused his presentation on education on COVID-19 safety protocols, Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), stigma, wellness clinics, and the role of chiefs and queen mothers in health promotion.

Dr. Da costa noted that the pandemic has not left the nation yet and although the Upper West Region currently has no case of COVID-19, the people in the region must not be complacent in the adherence to the safety protocols.

“Having no restricted traveling within the country, one cannot tell when an infected person enters the Upper West Region. There is also no vaccine to protect us against this virus and as scientists are trying to understand the full picture of the pandemic, its symptoms, severity and to find a vaccine, our honorable chiefs and queen mothers must do their best to protect and sustain the gains made by the government by educating their subjects”. 

In his opening remarks at the workshop which was chaired by His Royal Majesty Tumu-Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI who is also the President of Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, he thanked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the measures put in place by his government to slow down the spread of COVID-19.

The President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs added that the measures in place by the government have yielded positive results for Ghana with the Upper West Region currently having no case of COVID-19.

The Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Dr. Hafiz Bin Sali also remarked that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a great tow on Ghana and the world at large. Many economic activities have been disrupted and developed countries with powerful and sophisticated health systems have been overwhelmed.

The Ministry of Information was represented by the Deputy Minister for Information Hon. Pius Enam Hadzide who requested the revered chiefs to lead the rollout of community engagement and risk education strategy to deepen awareness of COVID-19.

Tumu-Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, on behalf of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs in showing appreciation to the leader of the COVID-19 sensitization workshop gifted a parcel to Dr. Da costa for teaching the house the best way to protect their subjects.