Senior officers from all 11 agencies under the Ministry of the Interior have donated GHS1 million to the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as the Mahama Cares Fund, aimed at supporting individuals battling chronic diseases.
The contributing agencies include the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Prisons Service, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), National Identification Authority (NIA), Gaming Commission, National Peace Council, Ghana Refugee Board, and the Small Arms Commission.
Speaking during the donation ceremony on Friday, June 20, the Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohunu, outlined the contributions made by each agency.
“The Police Service contributed GHS580,000, Immigration gave GHS100,000, Fire Service donated GHS50,000, NADMO also gave GHS50,000, and the Prisons Service presented GHS50,000. NACOC gave GHS10,000, NIA contributed GHS50,000, the Gaming Commission GHS50,000, the Peace Council and Refugee Board donated GHS5,000 each. The Minister for the Interior added GHS50,000, his deputy GHS30,000, and the Small Arms Commission also donated GHS10,000. In total, we raised GHS1 million and GHS2,000,” he disclosed.
President John Dramani Mahama, in response to the gesture, directed that the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Special Adviser on Government Affairs begin collecting one-month salary pledges from all presidential appointees.
“I will soon present my cheque to cover the pledge I made. I have advised the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Special Adviser on Government Affairs to start collecting the one-month salary pledges from all political appointees at the Presidency,” he announced.
In a related development, President Mahama has approved a GHS1 billion budget for the retooling of security agencies across the country. This decision follows a high-level Security Council meeting where he expressed concern about the inadequate resources available to agencies such as the Fire Service and the Police.
“I have managed to squeeze the hand of the Minister of Finance behind his back, and we will now get a GHS1 billion budget for the retooling of your various services. Fire Service urgently needs equipment. I empathise with them when they are insulted for arriving late to fire scenes.
“The truth is, some of their equipment was purchased over ten years ago, and there has been no retooling since. The public must be patient with our firefighters; they are doing their best under very difficult circumstances,” he added.
President Mahama also raised concerns over the conditions under which police officers confront armed criminals.
“Our police officers face armed robbers daily, and we can’t expect them to do so in light-skinned vehicles. They need adequate protection and modern equipment,” he stressed.