The Government has given 50,000RMB (GHC39,500.05) to the leadership of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) in China for the procurement of food and protective items for Ghanaian students caught up in the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
The money was made available to the students’ leadership through Ghana’s Embassy in the Chinese capital, Beijing, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
The coronavirus has so far claimed 213 lives and hospitalised more than 9,000 people.
A statement signed by Mr Felix Gyawu-Addo, President of NUGS, said the initiative was taken in response to challenges that were raised by its representatives during a four-hour meeting held on January 29, 2020 between the Ghana Embassy, the National Executive Council, and representatives of NUGS-China.
“During the meeting, chapter representatives unanimously affirmed that all Ghanaian students in their respective cities were safe from the virus. They mentioned that the shortage of nose masks and hand sanitisers had led to some concerns and prevented some members from going out to buy basic needs like food and water.
“At the end of the meeting that was chaired by Mr Edward Boateng, Ghana’s Ambassador to China, the embassy officials promised to channel all the concerns raised by chapter executives to Accra,” the statement said.
It continued: “According to directives from the embassy, during another meeting with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NUGS-China on January 31, 2020, 30,000RMB of the disbursed amount was to be given to the chapters in Hubei Province which is the epicenter of the disease.
The statement further explained that the remaining 20,000RMB was to be committed to the NUGS-China ‘Nkwa Na Hia’ fund created to provide support for all other chapters outside of the Hubei Province.”
It added “NUGS-China welcomes any donation either in cash or kind to help provide adequate support for all members under our watch.
“NUGS-China is grateful to the government of Ghana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and the Ghana Mission in China for such a kind gesture,” the statement concluded.
By TIMES REPORTER
