President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday afternoon inspected flooded areas in the lower Volta basin and pledged the government’s commitment to alleviate the plight of the flood victims.

He expressed sympathies for the people about the tragedy that had happened.
President Akufo-Addo said the government will do everything in its power to assist everybody affected by the floods in North Tongu, South Tongu and Central Tongu, all in the Volta Region.

The President, who returned to Ghana on Sunday night after a four-day official duty in the United States, was joined by members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee set up by the government to help address the havoc caused downstream by the Akosombo Dam spillage and to help bring relief to those affected.

The committee, headed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, is coordinating the government’s response to the spillage. The tour enabled the president and the committee to assess the destruction caused by the flood and its effect on the people in the various communities.

President Akufo-Addo explained that when the tragedy occurred, he was out of the jurisdiction of the United States of America (USA) but had already discussed with the Chief of Staff what had to be done in response to the tragedy.

He said the most important thing is to ensure that lives are protected, therefore the establishment of a center in Mepe and the provision of relief items by the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).

He said NADMO was going to continue to provide relief items and that, apart from what NADMO is doing, the Ministry of Agriculture will work and decide on the nature of support to offer in the long term when the water goes away.

The president emphasized the serious nature of the event and implored the traditional authorities against the politicization of the disaster.

President Akufo-Addo’s tour enabled him to visit the districts severely hit by the floods occasioned by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.  

Meanwhile over 8,000 flood victims have been rescued from distress so far, according to the Ghana Navy as of Sunday, October 15, following the spillage from the Akosombo Dam.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) started the controlled spillage at the Akosombo and Kpong dams, both in the Eastern Region, on September 16, 2023, following excess water in both reservoirs due to high rainfall.

The spillage has affected almost all the communities along the lower Volta Basin.

Story by: Isaac Clottey