Hon Chairman
Hon Minister for Interior & Chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee
Hon Ministers of state
The UNDP Resident Representative
Invited Dignitaries
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

I have the singular honour to welcome you to the launching of the programme of activities that have been drawn up to mark this year’s World Disaster Reduction Day.

NADMO continues to intensify awareness creation programmes on various disaster types confronting our communities using the media who are our major stakeholders

Mr chairman, ladies and gentlemen, this is one such occasion to inform and educate our fellow Ghanaians about the Day in particular and of disaster management in general.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School”. The theme aims at promoting the integration of disaster risk reduction into the school curricula in countries that are vulnerable to natural hazards. It also seeks to focus attention on the construction and retrofitting of school buildings to withstand natural hazards.

In line with the objective of the theme therefore, we have lined up a month long programme of activities for the celebration of this important Day. These include Television and Radio discussions, publication of educational materials, a durbar for school children would also be held at Tema and a stakeholder’s seminar in Accra for stakeholders in education to look at ways of integrating disaster risk reduction education into the school curricula. Similar activities will take place in all the regions and districts of the country.

The year 2007, ladies and gentlemen, has been a remarkable year, in terms of disaster management. Ghana has had its share of the floods sweeping across Africa. The effects of the flood disasters recorded this year, especially in the Three Northern Regions and western Region, Enchi, to be specific, are so devastating that it will take much commitment to resolve and rebuild what has been destroyed. Our school children have been among the most vulnerable while school buildings have been taken over as safe havens

The country, in April this year, recorded the outbreak of Avian Influenza on small scale poultry farms within the Tema Municipality. The disease was also detected in Brong Ahafo and Volta Regions.

Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, the theme for this year is most appropriate because the youth serve as better channels of communication.
It would be recalled that in the 2004 tsunami in South-East Asia, it was a child’s knowledge of early warning signs of a Tsunami that saved the child and many others who were holidaying on a beach.

We in NADMO believe that the poor people in the society suffer most in times of disaster. In view of this, poverty alleviation has been incorporated into our disaster prevention programmes in addition to environmental and other projects such as tree planting, small scale industries and salt iodization projects aimed at building effective coping capabilities within the local communities to create a strong foundation and motivation for disaster risk reduction.

Ladies and gentlemen of the media on behalf of NADMO, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you for your support and assistance in our public education programmes as well as your timely information to the public during emergencies. Without you, our programmes and activities would have remained unheard of and therefore unappreciated. With NADMO now laying emphasis on disaster prevention and sustained effective public education, this is the time your collaboration would be greatly needed. We hope we can always count on your support and cooperation.
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May I also take this opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude to the International Community, Organisations and Individuals who have lent a hand in support to mitigate the effects of the flood disaster in the three Northern Regions and Western Region of the country Various responses to the call for assistance to our countrymen and women who have in one way or the other been affected by the floods have been encouraging, both on the local and international fronts.

Finally, I appeal to all stakeholders, together let us forge ahead in our determination and effort to rid Ghana of the menace of disasters confronting our communities so that we will be galvanized to prepare adequately to avert and, or reduce their impact when they occur.

Thank you for your attention.

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