National Disaster Management Organization NADMO

National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO)

Ghana formed the National Disaster Management Organisation in 1996, backed by an act of Parliament (Act 517) to manage disasters and emergencies. This was after Ghana had responded to the United Nations Declaration GAD 44/236 of 1989 declaring 1990 to 1999 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).

NADMO is part of the Ghana Ministry of Interior. The board was chaired by the late (Brig. Rtd.) Dr. G. K. Dei. Dr. Dei at the time was the Commanding Officer of the country’s 37 military hospital. The board included representatives from the Ministries of Health, Finance, Social Welfare, Interior, Information, National Mobilization Programme, Ghana Armed Forces, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), among others.

Prior to the formation of NADMO, the National Mobilization Programme—set up after the 1982–1983 crises of drought, bushfires, famine, and the deportation of 1.2 million Ghanaians from Nigeria—served as the implementing agency of the Disaster Relief CommitteeAfter the formation, Kofi Portuphy, a member of the Relief Committee who had been instrumental in coordinating the drafting of the Act, became the first National Coordinator of NADMO.

NADMO performs specific functions which are all aimed at ensuring that in times of emergency, the government is ready to support relief efforts. These functions are:

1. Rehabilitation services for victims of disasters
2. Mobilization of people at various levels of society to support governmental programmes
3. Ensuring the preparedness of the country in the management of disasters
4. Coordinating the activities of various governmental and non-governmental agencies in the management of disasters.

The organization’s mandate includes response to earthquakes, floods and rainstorms, and market fires.
VISION
NADMO seeks to enhance the capacity of society to prevent and manage disasters and to improve the livelihood of the poor and vulnerable in rural communities through effective disaster management, social mobilisation and employment generation.
MISSION
“To manage disasters by co-ordinating the resources of government institutions and non-governmental agencies, and developing the capacity of communities to respond effectively to disasters and improve their livelihood through social mobilization, employment generation and poverty reduction projects.”
This is done by:

• Reviewing of the National, Regional and District Disaster Management Plans (DDMPs) for effective implementation.
• Linking Disaster Management Programmes to the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), and re-afforestation.
• Building capacity of staff and stakeholders.
• Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Risk Management countrywide.
• Public awareness creation through media discussions, public education and training of community members and Disaster Volunteer Groups (DVGs).
• Provision of skills and inputs for Disaster Volunteer Groups for employment generation and poverty reduction.
• Rehabilitation and reconstruction of educational and other social facilities destroyed by fire, floods rainstorms and other disasters.

Contact Details Of National Disaster Management Organisation NADMO