The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) is partnering with Ghana Heavy Equipment Limited (GHEL) to launch a coordinated nationwide drainage recovery campaign.
The collaboration, which according to NADMO was a strategic move to confront worsening drainage and flooding crisis was sealed during a high-level engagement between the Chief Executive Officer of GHEL, Mr Mutalib Awal’s and the Director General of NADMO, Major (Rtd.) Dr Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon in Accra on Thursday.
According to Major Kuyon, Ghana’s flood disasters were no longer seasonal inconveniences but existential threats to infrastructure, livelihoods, and public health.
He stressed the urgency of the situation, noting that inadequate drainage systems and poor maintenance continue to expose millions of Ghanaians to avoidable disasters.
“We are not here to issue another warning — we are here to act. This collaboration between NADMO and GHEL is about mobilising machinery, expertise, and national effort to break the back of Ghana’s drainage failure once and for all.”
GHEL, which holds the mandate for supplying and managing heavy-duty machinery for national development, has pledged full logistical and technical support to the NADMO-led initiative.
Mr Awal said the company has been undergoing strategic restructuring aimed at positioning itself as a national partner for large-scale mechanisation and emergency response.
The partnership will see both agencies work closely with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to identify critical drainage zones, deploy earth-moving equipment, and create a regional task force to monitor progress.
Emphasis would also be placed on youth employment and local capacity building, with GHEL offering training opportunities through its mechanisation centres.
Initial operations are expected to begin in June 2025, starting with Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, and Takoradi — urban areas that have historically suffered the worst flood impacts.
Both leaders called on other agencies — including the Ministries of Local Government, Roads and Highways, and Sanitation — to align efforts and resources toward a shared national goal: ending avoidable floods in Ghana.
“As the rains approach, all eyes will be on this powerful partnership between NADMO and GHEL, with hopes that it will mark the beginning of a new era in disaster prevention and infrastructure management,” they said.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
