By Philip Tengzu, GNA
Charikpong (UW/R), Oct. 16, GNA – Mr Osman Abdul-Latif Sinsew, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), has called for increased investment in disaster prevention and preparedness as a sustainable way of protecting lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.
He said funds were often released only after disasters had occurred to provide relief items and rebuild destroyed infrastructure, stressing that while such interventions were necessary, a more sustainable approach would be to invest in prevention.
Mr Sinsew made the call at Charikpong in the Nadowli-Kaleo District during the commemoration of this year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) on the theme: “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters.”
The event brought together traditional leaders, members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), heads of departments and agencies, schoolchildren, and community members.
He urged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to prioritise risk-informed development planning and encouraged the private sector to adopt resilience-building standards and insure critical assets.
“This year’s IDDRR message is clear — investing in resilience saves lives, protects livelihoods, and sustains development. I therefore call on all key actors, government, and local authorities to integrate disaster risk reduction into all infrastructure planning,” Mr Sinsew stated.
He noted that developing countries such as Ghana were disproportionately affected by disasters, with limited resources and fragile systems slowing recovery efforts.
In the Upper West Region, floods had repeatedly washed away farms, homes, and critical infrastructure, while wind and rainstorms had destroyed schools and health facilities, and bushfires had ravaged farmlands, he noted.
Mr Sinsew said NADMO in the region had prioritised preparedness and resilience building, including the distribution of over 100 life jackets to communities along the Black Volta, to enhance river transport safety.
The organisation had also strengthened community sensitisation and early warning systems in flood- and fire-prone areas.
Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister, stated that less than one per cent of global public budgets and only two per cent of development assistance were allocated to disaster risk reduction, resulting in high recovery costs and humanitarian crises.
He said this 2025 theme challenged stakeholders to view resilience as a strategic investment that safeguarded development, sustained growth, and protected human dignity.
Mr Puozuing said the government, through NADMO and its partners, had made progress in institutionalising disaster risk reduction, by strengthening early warning systems and improving community preparedness.
Additionally, the government was mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into national and sectoral planning, expanding early warning and response systems, and promoting climate-resilient agriculture to build a climate-secure future, he said.
He urged district assemblies, the private sector, and civil society to take ownership of resilience initiatives and allocate funds for disaster preparedness in their budgets.
Traditional leaders in Charikpong appealed to the government to address the deplorable state of roads in the area, an abandoned health project, and the uneven electricity distribution, which they described as major challenges affecting the community.
The Nadowli-Kaleo District Fire Service demonstrated fire-fighting techniques, using fire extinguishers and soaked blankets and educated participants on fire prevention measures.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali /Christabel Addo