ActionAid Ghana, a non Governmental and humanitarian Organisation has organised a two day workshop for its staff towards creating awareness on disaster risk reduction and climate change.

This workshop which was organised in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Organisation aimed at developing a conceptual framework of elements that has been considered with the possibilities to minimise vulnerabilities and disaster risks, to avoid or limit the adverse impact of hazards within the broad context of sustainable development.

Addressing the participants, Adwoa Kluvitse, Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, said climate change is affecting some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities around the world, especially in Africa and South East Asia.

She said, more than two hundred million people get affected by droughts, flood, cyclones, earthquakes, wild fires and other hazards across the world every year.

According to Mrs Adwoa Kluvitse, Ghana's experience of the flood disaster in August 2007 and the massive damage it caused necessitated the need to speed up the implementation of hyogo framework for action.

She added that, three years into the implementation of the ten-year plan, ActionAid has had some policy makers and political leaders expressed verbal commitment towards a substantial reduction in risks of disasters in Ghana.

"ActionAid is therefore yet to see its significant concrete progress being made by Ghana Government in addressing the five priorities of action agreed under the HFA". She said

"Much, they say has not been observed of micro policy on disaster risk reduction being translated through pragmatic programming into building communities" resilience to disasters at the scale required to address the size of the problem", she added.

According to her, the National Disaster Management Organisation has been reorganised as the main institution mandated to handle disaster issues, as mandated it will focus more on disaster preparedness and prevention than response in its new policy direction.

Government was reported to be working on a legal framework and financing arrangements that will facilitate the development of a national platform to prioritize disaster risk reduction

Mrs. Kluvitse said, ActionAid Ghana, is convinced that the workshop training program will go a long way to help inform the society to join in the crusade to reduce risks of disasters and find effective adaptation strategies to climate change effects.

She further urged all participants to fully participate in the workshop to help achieve the desired results in the battle against the effects of climate change and disasters.

The Coordinator of NADMO, DCOP Akrofi (Rtd) said the main priority of the training, was to build understanding and to prepare their staff on every risk which might occur in the country.

He regarded such petty disasters as a result of choked gutters; houses built on water ways etc and urged each and everyone to pull their resources to help fight disaster in the country.

He added that fire fighters (equipment) should be provided in each and everyone’s home to prevent disasters.

He said though ActionAid strives to help prevent disasters in the country, it should be the responsibility of everyone in the country to help reduce disaster risk in their homes or in the country.