Govt resolved to mitigate effect of disasters
The Minister of Interior, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi, has affirmed the government’s resolve to take preventive measures to mitigate the effect of natural and man-made disasters on people in the country.
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He said Ghanaians had over the years experienced many natural and man-made disasters which had led to the loss of life and property.
He made this known in a speech read on his behalf at the opening ceremony of a three-day seminar intended to brief members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior on the new National Disaster Management Service Bill.
The bill, which is already before Cabinet for consideration, is expected to empower the disaster management agency to operate efficiently.
Personnel of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) usually come across many wrong actions by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) during the course of their operations but are powerless to take the necessary action to protect life and property.
When Parliament passes the bill, it will help to build the capacity of communities to provide first line response when disaster occurs.
Participants in the seminar would also discuss and find solutions to the numerous gaps in the NADMO Act 517.
Mr Ahwoi urged the participants to make bold recommendations that would help improve the bill.
The National Co-ordinator for the NADMO, Mr Kofi Portuphy, in his address, said the new bill would, among other things, include the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, which was not in the old bill.
This, he said, was because, women, children, and the disabled in society, were the most vulnerable when disaster occurred adding that there was the need to introduce some policies that would help to safeguard them.
Also, he said, when the new bill was passed into law, it would give the NADMO the power to execute plans that made it impossible for the organisation to operate fully such as the evacuation of people from disaster prone areas into a different location.
Mr Portuphy called for the establishment of a Disaster Management Fund which was paramount to the operations of NADMO.
“We need to be able to make some funds available so that it can be used during emergencies to cater for the needs of victims,” he said.
By Zainabu Issah/Ghana