Ebola should not overwhelm Ghana – Dr Tetteh

Dr Lawrence Tetteh, a Ghanaian International Evangelist, has called for collaborative efforts to check the looming threat of the Ebola Viral Disease, which has so far claimed more than 4,500 lives in West Africa.

He said the determination of Ghana to tackle the disease should be more pronounced when President John Dramani Mahama agreed to a request from the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, for the use of Ghana as the logistics base for the international fight against Ebola in West Africa.

Dr Tetteh made the call in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Accra at the weekend ahead of a crusade in Tarkwa dubbed: “A thankful heart opens doors for greater works,” which was organised by University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) to mark its 60th anniversary.

The three-day event, which witnessed a large crowd of people including the university community led by Professor Jerry Samuel Yaw Kumah, Vice- Chancellor and neighbouring localities was used as a platform for prayer for the university, healing ministration and thanksgiving service.

The UN and other international organisations are expected to use Accra as a Centre for airlifting supplies and personnel to the most affected countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Following the outbreak of the Ebola virus, most of the regular commercial flights into the affected areas have been suspended, making it difficult for equipment, logistics and personnel to reach the affected nations.

Using Accra as the Logistics and Coordination Centre would therefore open a vital corridor to get urgently needed supplies and health personnel into the affected countries.

Dr Tetteh also the President and Founder of World Miracle Outreach said Ghana has ample time to study how Nigeria was able to contain the disease when it struck Africa’s most populous nation.

“We have no excuse at all when we allow the deadly viral disease to devastate the country when we can learn about the best practices elsewhere to contain it as well as run education programmes and make the right logistics available to contain an outbreak.

“I am happy we are gradually getting over the cholera epidemic, which shamefully has claimed a number of lives of the citizenry. Let’s resolve as a nation that Ebola will not get a foot hold in Ghana,” he said.

Dr Tetteh said although as a man of God he believes that prayers have a strong effect on Ebola, he is of the view that the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, pharmacists and other stakeholders should join efforts of the international community to find an antidote to the marauding disease.

He said the crusade was an opportune time for the nation to pray against the plans of the devil being revealed in the various prophecies making the headlines in the local media.

“We serve a living God and there are no powers or principalities that could prevail over a praying nation. Let us therefore continue our daily supplications to the one only living God we serve and I believe that all dooms day revelations will come to naught.”

Prof Kumah expressed appreciation to God for how far, He has brought the university.

UMaT was first established in Tarkwa as a technical institute in 1952. The university was changed to the Tarkwa School of Mines to help train manpower for the mining industry in Ghana.

UMaT became a faculty under Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). In October, 2001 it was elevated to a University of College status as the Western University College of KNUST.

It became a fully-fledged university in 2004.