Establish Disaster Fund now - Yirimea

Accra, June 6, GNA - Alhaji Sulemana Yirimea, Deputy National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), on Tuesday urged the Government to establish a disaster management fund to adequately resource agencies tasked with crisis management within the country.

He said the establishment of the fund would give NADMO and other security agencies involved in disaster management, the level of independence needed to effectively deal with emergency situations. Speaking to journalists after the opening of a two-day workshop on disaster management for 25 security officers and disaster management personnel in Accra, Alhaji Yirimea said the fund would also relieve the Government of huge financial commitments anytime there was crisis. He said although the country was prepared and well equipped to deal with potential disaster situations, the Government could secure the country's preparedness with the establishment of the fund. Alhaji Yirimea said the bureaucratic process required to source funds from the Government during crises was detrimental to quick responses needed at such times.

He said the establishment of the disaster management fund was incorporated in proposals submitted by NADMO to the Government for the amendment of Act 517, which established the organization in 1996. "With the establishment of the fund, NADMO would be able to solicit for funds from relief organisations and other institutions during emergency situation" he noted.

In a welcoming address, Commodore Mohammed Munir Tahiru, Director-General in charge of Training in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF); said the workshop brought together major stakeholders on disaster preparedness to identify how disaster situations could be managed and the extent to which agencies tasked with crises management were prepared to efficiently play their roles.

He said the magnitude of devastation resulting from disasters required an integrated approach to manage since the issues involved were usually multi-dimensional.

Commodore Tahiru commended the collaboration between NADMO, GAF and other security agencies in managing disasters saying that it had "brought the situation under control".

He said disaster management experts from the State of North Dakota in the US would be assisted by officials from NADMO to facilitate the workshop.

The participants would discuss among other topics, the roles, responsibilities and challenges facing security services and other agencies in the preparation and response to disaster management.