Highlife legend Ben Brako has joined the many lashing out at Ghana’s COVID-19 testing regime for returning passengers at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
The legendary highlife musician is convinced the situation at KIA is driving away potential investors.
“Narrating his ordeal on New Day on TV3 Monday, August 2, Ben Brako said after testing negative for the virus in the US before embarking on his trip to Ghana to attend the wedding of his son, his test results at the KIA proved positive,†reports 3News.
He said he was then bundled into a room full of other arriving passengers who had apparently tested positive for the virus. They were all then bussed to a hotel he described as a “dumpâ€.
“The water [there] was like water from galamsey.†he said. “It was brown and I was shocked. . .I was using this water to wash my mouth,†3News quotes Ben Brako in a report on Monday.
Similar ordeals have been recounted by Ghanaian-born foreign nationals with some claiming authorities were producing fake tests to rake in money from them.
But the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Saturday, July 31 responded to some of these allegations, asserting that the tests conducted at KIA meet all the international standards and consistently monitored by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
Ben Brako, however, said his PCR test results came out negative, consistent with his previous tests from the US but contrary to the antigen test conducted three days earlier at KIA, insinuating the results could have been fake.
The 1980s hitmaker said he was gobsmacked when he was asked to isolate for three days after the antigen test.
He said the situation he encountered within the period saw some potential investors return to their countries in disappointment at the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality.
He is calling on authorities to improve the conditions with regard to the Covid-19 test protocols before Ghana loses not only thousands of foreign direct investment but also its enviable reputation as a beacon of hope in Africa.
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