Charikpong: 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 emphasized that funds are often released only after disasters have occurred to provide relief items and rebuild destroyed infrastructure. While such interventions are necessary, he stressed that a more sustainable approach would be to invest in prevention.
According to Ghana News Agency, 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 gathered traditional leaders, members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), heads of departments and agencies, schoolchildren, and community members.
Mr Sinsew urged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to prioritize risk-informed development planning and encouraged the private sector to adopt resilience-building standards and insure critical assets. He highlighted that this year’s IDDRR message emphasizes that investing in resilience saves lives, protects livelihoods, and sustains development. He called on all key actors, government, and local authorities to integrate disaster risk reduction into all infrastructure planning.
He pointed out that developing countries such as Ghana are disproportionately affected by disasters, with limited resources and fragile systems slowing recovery efforts. In the Upper West Region, floods have repeatedly washed away farms, homes, and critical infrastructure, while wind and rainstorms have destroyed schools and health facilities, and bushfires have ravaged farmlands.
Mr Sinsew noted that NADMO in the region has prioritized preparedness and resilience building, including the distribution of over 100 life jackets to communities along the Black Volta to enhance river transport safety. The organization has also strengthened community sensitization 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 are allocated to disaster risk reduction, resulting in high recovery costs and humanitarian crises. He said the 2025 theme challenges stakeholders to view resilience as a strategic investment that safeguards development, sustains growth, and protects human dignity.
Mr Puozuing mentioned that the government, through NADMO and its partners, has made progress in institutionalizing disaster risk reduction by strengthening early warning systems and improving community preparedness. Additionally, the government is 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 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.