A $5 million relief package has been provided to thousands of flood victims across the country as an intervention by the government and UN agencies.

The World Bank has pledged about $4 million to the post-flood rehabilitation efforts. The Vice-President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, who announced the package on Thursday November 4 at a meeting with development partners, said “In summary, our combined short and long-term response to the flood relief and post-flood rehabilitation needs amount of over $20 million of investment.

Present at the meeting were the Minister of Interior, Martin Amidu; the National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr. Kofi Portuphy; the World Food Program (WFP) Representative, Mr. Ismail Omer; the United Kingdom Department of International Development (DfID) Country Director, Mr. Daniel Graymore; the Ambassador of Brazil to Ghana, Mr. Luis Fernando Serra; and the Ambassador of Denmark, Mr. Stig Barlyng.

The government and the United Nations agencies mobilized the relief items, including food and related items, in reaction to the urgent food needs of the displaced and affected districts in the country.

It is estimated by the UN Office of Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that approximately 170,000 people in Ghana are affected in diverse ways, including loss of lives, homes and properties.

The worse-affected districts are the Central Gonja, West Gonja and West Mamprusi districts in the Northern Region; parts of the Upper West, Upper East, Brong Ahafo regions and some recently affected areas in the Volta Region, including Dambai in the Krachi East District.

The Vice-President said the government had directed the inter-ministerial task force established to coordinate the response to the floods, to submit its comprehensive plan to the Cabinet.

He said any further response to the urgent needs would be announced soon.

Daily Graphic/DS