Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has met a delegation from the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) to discuss the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China and the safety of Ghanaian students resident in Wuhan.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey briefed NUGS on the measures the Government has taken to ease the plight of Ghanaian students in Wuhan, according to a statement from the Ministry.
Ghana’s mission in China currently holds meetings every 48 hours with the student leadership to respond to concerns raised.
The Ministry has also held meetings with the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana and has received assurances from the Ambassador that “the Central and Provincial Governments of China, as well as authorities of the Universities in Wuhan, would continue to step up efforts to ensure that the concerns of Ghanaian students in Wuhan are addressed in an expeditious manner.”
The Ministry has also granted approval for the Ghana Mission in Beijing to expend an amount of ¥100,000 (USD$14,286) to cater for emergency needs, such as the provision of nose masks, hand sanitizers and food items, especially for Ghanaians in Wuhan and its environs.
Additional amounts of US$50,000.00 and US$200,000.00 have been transferred separately to the Mission in Beijing to cater for the emergency needs of the students.
The Mission is also working with the student leadership in Wuhan to collate the names and bank details of beneficiary students.
The accounts of students are expected to be credited by Wednesday, 20th February, 2020.
The Ministry has also dispatched cartons of assorted Ghanaian food items to the Mission in Beijing for onward delivery to the students in Wuhan.
On the issue of the non-evacuation of the students from Wuhan, the Minister acknowledged the general apprehension among parents in Ghana and sympathised with them.
