The Member of Parliament for Salaga North, Alhassan Mumuni, has called for the immediate implementation of the National Disaster Management Fund to provide the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) with the resources needed to respond effectively to emergencies.
His call comes in the wake of recent flooding that displaced nearly 300 residents in the North East Gonja District and more than 50,000 others in Hohoe in the Volta Region.
Speaking to journalists on October 2, Mr Mumuni said the fund, provided for under the NADMO Act, 2016 (Act 927), was intended to provide the organisation with a sustainable source of financing to carry out its disaster management responsibilities.
He said the continued delay in operationalising the fund was affecting NADMO’s ability to adequately prepare for and respond to emergencies, particularly at the district level.
He explained that the organisation’s mandate should extend beyond responding to disasters after they occur to include prevention, preparedness, and the ability to mount swift responses when emergencies arise.
Mr. Mumuni, therefore, urged the government to take immediate steps to operationalise and adequately resource the fund.
“I want to appeal to the government to ensure that as soon as practicable, they should be able to resource this fund, get it established for NADMO to be able to get many resources to operate,” he said.
He said the need for a properly funded disaster management system had become particularly evident at the district level, where NADMO officials are expected to be among the first responders when disasters occur.
According to him, some district offices lack basic logistics required for emergency operations, including vehicles to enable officials to reach affected communities.
“When you go to most of our districts, the NADMO staff are actually finding it very difficult to operate as a disaster response organisation,” he said. “There are most of the districts without even vehicles. The district directors don’t have vehicles to move to respond to some of these incidents.”
The MP said operationalising the National Disaster Management Fund would help address some of these logistical and financial constraints by giving NADMO a more reliable resource base.
He said adequate funding would also enable the organisation to strengthen disaster prevention and preparedness, rather than relying predominantly on interventions after communities had already been affected.
Mr Mumuni stressed that the recent flooding incidents demonstrated the importance of having a disaster management system that was sufficiently resourced to act quickly when emergencies occur.
He urged the government to prioritise the implementation of the fund and provide NADMO with the financial and logistical support required to fulfill its mandate.
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