Representatives of the Grand Lodge during the presentation
The District Grand Lodge of Ghana has presented medical equipment comprising two specialized ultra-low freezers and 1,000 PCR test kits to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
The equipment valued at about GH?280,000 was presented by representatives of the District Grand Lodge of Ghana led by the District Grand Master, Isaac Owulaku Hood.
In a short address, Right Worshipful Isaac Owulaku Hood explained that the District Grand Lodge is part of a worldwide body of Freemasons who operate under the United Grand Lodge of England, the Premier Grand Lodge.
The Ghana District was inaugurated 89 years ago and is made up of members from a cross-section of the Ghanaian society. The district, he explained, boasts of the oldest lodge in the country – Gold Coast Lodge – formed in 1863.
The District Grand Master said, “Seeing the threat that Covid-19 poses to our dear nation Ghana, Freemasons of the Ghana District set up a charity fund, since one of the principal tenets of Freemasonry is charity, specifically aimed at supporting the institute which is at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19.”
The Director of the institute, Prof. Abraham Kwabena Annan, expressed their gratitude to the District Grand lodge of Ghana, explaining that the PCR test kits would go a long way to boost testing for Covid-19 and critically needed ultra-low freezers would be used to store biological samples.
He further stated that the equipment would also help in the storage of specimen which could be used for current and future research and aid in the development of vaccines.
He also stated that given the generosity of Freemasons, the NMIMR would be happy to share the donation with their sister research organizations, the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), as arrangements are underway to deliver one ultra-low freezer to KCCR.
In his closing remarks, the District Grand Master, Mr. Hood, wished the institute well and expressed the hope that there would be another opportunity for the District Grand Lodge to be of assistance.