President John Dramani Mahama has convened a National Security Meeting to address the aftermath of recent flooding that affected large parts of Ghana’s southern coastal region.
Speaking at the meeting, President Mahama explained that he deemed it necessary to bring together key security and disaster response bodies to discuss the issues arising from the disaster and to chart a path forward.
“In the aftermath of the floods that affected a lot of the southern coastal part of our country, I deemed it necessary for us to have a national security meeting to discuss the issues arising out of that natural disaster. It’s become a recurring incident, but of course this was far worse than any that we have seen”.
President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama attributed the scale of this year’s flooding to two compounding factors, the vagaries of climate change and the pressures of rapid urbanization. He specifically pointed to Accra’s growth, noting that the capital is expanding at what he called an alarming rate, placing increasing strain on the city’s drainage and waste management systems.
This combination of environmental and urban pressures, according to President Mahama, has intensified the impact of seasonal rains far beyond what the city’s infrastructure was originally designed to handle.
Military and NADMO Lead Response Efforts
President Mahama confirmed that the government has already mobilized key institutions to respond to the crisis. He said the army has been enlisted to support flood mitigation measures, while the National Disaster Management Organisation and other agencies have taken charge of distributing relief items to affected communities.
The National Security Meeting, he explained, was convened specifically to review what has been done so far and to determine what additional measures need to be implemented going forward, ensuring that the response evolves based on lessons learned from the current disaster.
President Mahama disclosed that the Minister of Finance has released funds from the Contingency Fund to help finance ongoing mitigation measures. He described this development as a positive step, giving the government the financial resources necessary to move beyond emergency relief and into longer-term flood prevention work.
This funding announcement reinforces earlier government commitments to channel resources specifically toward addressing the structural causes of flooding, rather than limiting the response to short term relief distribution alone.
Flooding Cannot Be Eliminated, But Can Be Minimized
President Mahama was candid about the limits of what government intervention can achieve. “We might not be able to completely eliminate flooding because it’s a natural disaster that happens not only in our part of the world,” he said, acknowledging that flooding remains a global phenomenon rather than a uniquely Ghanaian problem.
He noted that during the same period, countries stretching from Gabon to Cote d’Ivoire also reported flooding and loss of life, with some nations experiencing tolls higher than Ghana’s. Despite this broader context, Mahama insisted that meaningful reduction remains achievable.
“We can minimize it and make its effect less disastrous, like what happened. In everything, we give thanks, and we hope that we should be able to work so that we ameliorate the difficulty that people are suffering.”
President John Dramani Mahama
Presidential Advisor Highlights Waste Management Failures
Following the National Security Meeting, Senior Presidential Advisor and Aide Joyce Bawah Mogtari released her own statement addressing the crisis, focusing specifically on the connection between flooding and Ghana’s waste management practices.
She said the recent torrential rains that flooded Accra, causing displacement, loss of life, and destruction of infrastructure, made it clear that the country faces significant challenges in waste management and disposal.
Mrs Bawah Mogtari said the administration remains committed to finding lasting solutions to flooding under Mahama’s leadership, and has been actively engaging with security services, the Anti-Flood Committee, and other well meaning citizens throughout this process.
Citizens Urged to Take Responsibility
Beyond government action, Mrs Bawah Mogtari emphasized the role ordinary citizens must play in addressing the crisis. She said it is imperative for citizens to take responsibility for their environment, ensure the decluttering of waterways, and minimize pollution, framing environmental responsibility as a shared obligation rather than a task for government alone.
“By working together, we can build a better future for ourselves and the next generation,” she said, calling on Ghanaians to seize the current moment as an opportunity to correct past mistakes and adopt more sustainable waste disposal practices going forward.
Taken together, the President’s remarks and his advisor’s follow up statement outline a two pronged approach to Ghana’s flooding crisis, combining government led mitigation efforts, backed by military deployment and Contingency Fund resources, with a renewed call for citizen responsibility around waste disposal and waterway maintenance.
Whether this combined approach succeeds will likely depend on how consistently both government agencies and everyday citizens sustain these commitments beyond the immediate aftermath of this year’s flooding.
