President John Dramani Mahama has directed the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to immediately release GHS300 million from the Contingency Fund to support urgent flood relief and mitigation efforts across affected parts of the country.
The directive follows widespread flooding in Accra on Monday, June 30, which resulted in the loss of about five lives, with hundreds of buildings submerged in water.
The downpour also affected other communities in the southern sector after hours of intense rainfall, displacing residents, damaging property, and disrupting economic activity.
According to the statement issued on Tuesday, June 30, the amount will be split equally, with GHS150 million allocated for immediate relief interventions for flood-affected persons and communities.
The remaining GHS 150 million will be directed towards flood mitigation measures aimed at reducing future incidents and strengthening the country’s drainage and disaster response systems.
The President also ordered the deployment of personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service to support the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other emergency agencies in ongoing rescue and relief operations.
On the evening of Monday June 29, President Mahama undertook an aerial assessment of the affected areas to evaluate the scale of destruction and to guide government’s response strategy.
The inspection formed part of a broader set of emergency measures announced to protect lives, assist affected communities and address the underlying causes of the recurrent flooding in the capital and surrounding areas.
