Mr Ekow Panyin Okyere Eduamoah, the Central Regional Minister, has called on the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to shift towards more proactive strategies to prevent disasters, rather than relying solely on reactive responses.
Proactive disaster prevention, he said would save lives, reduce economic losses and save millions of cedis recently lost, with floods alone displacing thousands during the 2025 rainy season.
Proactive response would also build resilience by freeing resources for development instead of recovery in vulnerable communities, where poor drainage, informal settlements and climate change amplify risks.
Additionally, he said investing in tools like real-time weather monitoring and public awareness campaigns, NADMO could turn potential tragedies into manageable challenges.
The Central Regional Minister made the call at the opening ceremony of a three-day leadership and capacity-building workshop for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directors and their Deputies at the Central Regional Coordinating Council (CRCC).
Held on the theme: “Resetting NADMO for improved performance in disaster resilience,” the forum will cover critical topics, including an overview of NADMO’s new direction command and control structures.
Others are hydrometeorological disasters, fire management, relief operations, administration and training protocols.
Participants engaged in practical sessions to build skills for effective disaster coordination.
Central Regional Minister stated: “Disasters like floods, fires, illegal mining, sand winning and coastal erosion are no longer rare events in our region; they are becoming annual threats.
“NADMO must lead with prevention through early warning systems, community education and infrastructure audits before crises strike. I wish to suggest a change of name from NADMO to National Disaster Prevention Management to reflect their core mandate.”
He also issued a stern caution to staff of NADMO to actively combat illegal mining without seeking personal gains from the destructive activity.
He addressed persistent rumours that some NADMO personnel stationed in galamsey hotspots were allegedly profiting from the environmental crime.
He emphasised that the fight against illegal mining must remain impartial and selfless, warning that no one involved in corrupt practices would receive protection.
“Let me be crystal clear: if you’re in the galamsey trenches to line your pockets with money from our poisoned rivers and barren lands, the long arm of the law will drag you out, no shields, no excuses, no sacred cows,” the Minister declared.
Corroborating the Minister’s concern, Mr Habib Hakeem, the Regional Representative of the Council of State, described the rumours as “worrying” to government’s efforts to weed out illegal mining.
The NADMO’s role in disaster response and mitigation is pivotal, but reports of internal complicity is undermining public trust.
Opening the forum, Dr Lutfia Saeed, the Deputy Director General in-charge of Administration at NADMO, said the training formed part of the Organisation’s broad strategic shift to its response approach to disaster management from reactive disaster response to proactive risk management.
Building the capacity of the NADMO staff, she said, was crucial in an era of changing disaster patterns, as it would equip them with updated skills, technologies and strategies to anticipate, respond to, and mitigate increasingly unpredictable events like intensified floods, wildfires and climate-driven crises.