First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has urged the youth to use the COVID-19 stay home period as learning opportunities to strengthen their intellectual capabilities.

She said within “this period of what seems like a long holiday”, school-going children and the youth could also use the learning facilities such as libraries in their communities to read and enlighten themselves, stating that “reading strengthens the mind just as exercise does to the body”.

Mrs Akufo-Addo was speaking at a short ceremony in Accra, where she presented some thermometer guns to the Ghana Library Authority for onward distribution to the various libraries across the country.

She said the thermometer donation was to assist the Authority to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic within its libraries by checking the temperature of individuals who may visit their facilities.

"In this time of COVID-19, we all need to follow the safety protocols and I believe this equipment will go a long way to assist you in that regard," she said.

The First lady assured of the Rebecca Foundation’s commitment towards quality education, saying that under the Foundation’s “Learning to Read, Reading to Learn ” and “ Because I want to be” initiatives, the Foundation was building libraries in school clusters, running a television reading programme and also supporting girls to stay in school.

On his part, Mr Hayford Siaw, Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority, who received the equipment, expressed gratitude to the Mrs Akufo-Addo for her timely donation and promised that the guns would be put to good use as the Authority prepares to open their facilities to the general public.