The Chief of Staff, Hon. Akosua Frema Osei-Opare has said that the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Floods had undertaken substantial efforts to support flood victims following spillage in the Volta and Northern Regions and would continue to work to ensure no affected household is left behind in the relief and recovery efforts.
The assurance came during the Press Briefing by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on floods held at the Ministry of Information in Accra on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.
Hon. Osei-Opare, who doubles as Chairperson of the Committee emphasised the Government’s commitment to the effective and timely execution of relief and rehabilitation efforts.
“No one will be left behind,” the Chief of Staff assured.
She affirmed that the Government was determined to mitigate the challenges faced by the affected communities.
The Committee, she said had been actively engaged in the distribution of essential relief items to communities. These items included: toiletries, food supplies, medications, and other necessities, the most recent of these efforts was in Buipe in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
She disclosed that the Government had allocated GHS 20 million to support the relief phase for communities affected by the Akosombo spillage and floods in the Oti, Savannah, and Bono-East Regions.
Hon. Osei-Opare added that the Ministry of Finance was exploring additional funding options from the World Bank and climate-related sources to aid the affected communities further.
Present at the media briefing was the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, Director of Planning of the Water Resources Commission (WRC), Dr Bob Alfa, Director of Public Health of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Deputy Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Mr Seji Saji, Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa as well as other well-known dignitaries.
The CEO of VRA, Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, provided updates on ongoing emergency response efforts in the Volta, Eastern, Greater Accra, Savannah, Bono East, and Oti Regions. He said that the VRA, in collaboration with NADMO, had provided shelter, food, clean water, sanitation services, and other essential supplies to flood victims since the floods began and would continue to do so until normalcy is restored in the flood-affected areas.
Dr. Bob Alfa of the Water Resources Commission (WRC) detailed efforts to provide clean water to the affected communities to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases. He said that WRC in collaboration with VRA had conducted a fumigation exercise in all impacted communities, contributing to improved living conditions.
Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe from the GHS highlighted heightened surveillance of priority diseases in affected districts and regions, which focused on the prevention of the spread of diseases such as cholera, malaria, respiratory infections, skin infections, and mental health issues.
Hon. Frema Osei-Opare reiterated that the Government would continue to put measures in place to ensure that all the flood victims and their properties are safe and secured.
Source: MOI (PR Unit)
