Building Resilience Against Disasters: A National Necessity

Strategic Insights -

As the frequency and intensity of natural disasters increase due to climate change, environmental degradation, and unplanned human activities, Ghana's Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, emphasizes the urgent need to build resilience against disasters. Speaking at the commemoration of the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Minister stressed that every cedi spent on prevention and preparedness saves many more than would have been lost to disaster response and recovery. He called for strong institutional frameworks, robust early warning systems, empowered communities, and conscious citizenry to prioritize risk mitigation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, considers building resilience against disasters a national necessity critical to achieving sustainable development.
  • The frequency and intensity of disasters are increasing globally due to climate change, environmental degradation, and unplanned human activities, threatening lives, livelihoods, and national development.
  • The Minister emphasized the need to recognize that every cedi spent on prevention and preparedness saves many more than would have been lost to disaster response and recovery.
  • Strong institutional frameworks, robust early warning systems, empowered communities, and conscious citizenry are necessary to achieve disaster resilience.
  • Ghana's partnership with the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) has contributed to strengthening early warning systems and improving urban resilience.
  • More needs to be done to integrate disaster risk reduction into local governance, increase domestic financing, and promote public-private partnerships to drive innovation and sustainable investment in resilience.

Statistics:

  • Ghana has 261 districts, with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) reviving and expanding disaster volunteer groups in all districts.
  • The National Geospatial Disaster Risk Platform (NGDRP) has made significant progress in using innovation and technology in data integration, geospatial mapping, and predictive analytics to enhance decision-making and early warning.

Sources:

  • Ghana News Agency, 14 October 2025
  • World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
  • National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO)
  • Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030)