Ghana: Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd.), Minister of Health, recently encouraged Ghanaians to adopt healthy lifestyles to fulfill the country’s dream of becoming a middle-income country by 2010. “If you are not healthy, you cannot produce wealth for the country. The country requires a healthy population, but a lot of expenditure is being made on curing preventable diseases due to unhealthy lifestyles,” he said in a speech launching Health Week on the theme “Preventive Healthcare: the sure way of attaining wealth.” Major Quashigah urged schools to incorporate health education and nutrition into curricula so students can become “the change agents of promoting healthy lifestyles” and help increase awareness.

GhanaWeb.com: http://www.ghanaweb.com

Ghana: WHO’s Representative to Ghana, Dr. Joaquim Saweka, recently urged Ghanaian chiefs and their elders, highly respected traditional leaders in Ghana, to play a key role in disseminating health information, especially among rural groups who lack access to health information through communication technology. Dr. Saweka presented his comments during a visit from a delegation led by Osabarima Ansah Sasraku III, Chief of Mamfe and Kyidomhene of Akwapim earlier this year.

WHO Africa Region: http://www.who.int/countries/gha/news/2008/20080327/en/index.html