NADMO boss elected onto ICDO Executive Council
The Director General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Eric Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, has been elected to the Executive Council of the General Assembly of the International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO).
He becomes the first Ghanaian to serve on the Executive Council of the organisation.
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His election took place at the 55th Session of the Executive Council and the 25th Session of the General Assembly in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last Thursday.
ICDO
The ICDO is an intergovernmental organisation whose activities are aimed at providing expert assistance to rescue agencies in civil defence and emergency prevention and response.
It has 60 member states, mostly in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the ICDO and its functions include determining general policies for the fulfilment of the functions of the organisation; reviewing and approving reports and activities of the Executive Council and the Secretary-General; and promoting and conducting research in the field of protection and rescue work by the personnel of the organisation.
The Executive Council is the highest decision-making body of the organisation after the General Assembly that meets every two years.
The functions of the council include implementing the decisions taken by the General Assembly; studying all questions concerning the protection and rescue of populations and property on an international scale; and preparing the agenda for the General Assembly.
Ready to serve
Speaking to the Daily Graphic via telephone from Abu Dhabi just after the election, Nana Agyemang-Prempeh said he was glad for the opportunity to serve on the highest body of the ICDO.
“This is another opportunity to serve, and with God on my side, I will do so to the best of my ability,” he stated.
Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, who is credited with some of the transformational policies in the history of NADMO, said the 60-member countries present at the Abu Dhabi conference supported his bid to serve on the executive council.
“I am also the only Anglophone Sub-Saharan African on the council,” he stated.
He added: “I would also like to congratulate my Tunisian and Nicaragua counterparts for winning the Chairmanship and Vice Chairmanship positions respectively.”
Capacity building
Nana Agyemang-Prempeh, who is also the President of the National Association of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), said he would use his role to advance the course of NADMO and more importantly, to leverage the expertise of the ICDO and its affiliate institutions to build on the capacity of NADMO staff.
He said he would network and seek logistical support for NADMO.