With ap­proximately 18,000 babies born with sickle cell disease (SCD) annually out of an esti­mated 896,000 births, Ghana has announced plans to screen every newborn baby for the condition.

This initiative is part of a na­tional strategy to prevent or con­trol SCD, which affects thousands of Ghanaians each year.

Current statistics show that only 5.5 per cent of children are screened for SCD in the newborn period, with most cases diagnosed during emergency department visits.

The plan was revealed here on Monday by Professor Alex Osei-Akoto, Principal Investigator of the Patient-Centred Sickle Cell Disease Management in sub-Sa­haran Africa (PACTS) project, at a media training workshop on SCD held at the Kwame Nkrumah Uni­versity of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

SCD is a genetic disorder that affects hemoglobin production in red blood cells. It is a significant public health issue in Ghana, where an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 babies are born with SCD annually, representing two per cent of all live births. Additionally, about 25 per cent of the Ghana­ian population are carriers of the sickle cell trait.

The workshop, which brought together journalists, researchers, and clinicians, aimed to improve the well-being and health out­comes of SCD patients in sub-Sa­haran Africa.

It focused on earlier and im­proved detection of the disease, optimised implementation of evi­dence-based clinical interventions, and enhanced public knowledge about SCD.

According to Prof. Osei-Ako­to, the national strategy for SCD includes screening all newborn ba­bies, which leads to early detection and treatment.

The stakeholders at the work­shop unanimously supported the national strategy for SCD and urged every Ghanaian to support the fight against the disease.

With this ambitious plan, Ghana is taking a significant step towards combating SCD and improving the lives of thousands of its citizens.

 FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI

The Chief Executive Officer of Agri-Impact Limited, Mr. Daniel Fahene Acquaye, has raised concerns over the budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector in the 2025 national budget saying it is very insufficient.

Speaking at the 2025 Budget Digest organized by PwC in Accra, he complained that the current allocation is inadequate to drive the economic transformation envisioned by the government.

Mr. Acquaye highlighted that out of the total GH¢279 billion budget, only GH¢1.5 billion—representing 0.54%—has been allocated to agriculture.

In 2024, agriculture was allocated 2.2% of the total budget.

“The point I’m making is that the budget allocation to agriculture in this year’s budget is highly insufficient. If we see a decline in the government’s own budget allocation to agriculture—not donor funds—then we are definitely going to face challenges,” he stated.

While acknowledging the government’s introduction of the GH¢13.8 billion Big Push initiative, Mr. Acquaye questioned the absence of a detailed breakdown of allocations within the initiative.

He called for a dedicated “Big Push for Agriculture,” focusing on critical areas such as irrigation, post-harvest systems, and large-scale agricultural infrastructure.

He further emphasized the need for investment in agricultural infrastructure, arguing that institutions like the Ghana Exim Bank, GIRSAL, and the Development Bank of Ghana are supporting agribusiness but are not addressing large-scale transformative infrastructure such as irrigation systems, warehouses, and road networks.

“We have sector-specific funds like GETFund for education and COCOBOD for cocoa, but there is no dedicated fund for agriculture,” he noted.

Touching on climate change, Mr. Acquaye highlighted the vulnerability of northern Ghana, where farmers rely on a single production season. He warned that delayed rainfall in 2023 led to crop losses exceeding 90% in some areas, leaving many farmers unable to replant until the following year.

He also underscored the need for “agri-enablers” to attract young people into the sector. While Ghana has implemented policies such as free tuition for first-year tertiary students, he stressed that there must be corresponding investments in creating opportunities for skilled graduates in agriculture.

Mr. Acquaye concluded by urging the government to reconsider its budget priorities, emphasizing that without significant investment in agricultural infrastructure and enablers, the country’s economic transformation would be incomplete.

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