Sissala East pupils receive disaster risk reduction training as Assembly pushes resilience-focused interventions

More than 200 pupils of the Stadium Residential Basic School have taken part in a sensitisation programme on international disaster risk reduction practices as part of activities marking the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR).

Held under the global theme “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” the event was jointly organised by the Sissala East Municipal Assembly and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to equip young learners with practical skills to minimise risks linked to natural and human-induced disasters.

Speaking on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Adamu B. Yakubu, Municipal Deputy Director Madam Hilda Boro stressed the need for Ghana to shift from reactive emergency responses toward long-term resilience investments.

She noted that the municipality had long grappled with droughts, floods, bushfires, and extreme heat, and said it was time to prioritise prevention over response.

The MCE highlighted interventions rolled out by the Assembly in recent years, including the planting of more than 74,000 seedlings under the Tree for Life Restoration Initiative, the creation of 99 hectares of firebreaks and woodlots under the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project, and the implementation of the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reduction Project to protect vegetation and strengthen climate adaptation.

Other measures include the installation of six solar-powered micro-irrigation systems in five communities to support dry-season farming, and the distribution of over 10,000 guinea fowl keets to 1,005 farmers under the Sustainable Agriculture Development Programme to enhance food security.

Mr Yakubu announced that Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies would be fully integrated into the Municipality’s 2026–2029 Medium-Term Development Plan to address persistent challenges such as bushfires and illegal land use.

He encouraged pupils to become “champions of resilience” by protecting the environment, supporting tree-planting initiatives, and avoiding bush burning.

Sissala East Municipal NADMO Director, Mr Nansia Iddrisu, emphasised the critical role of communities in reducing disaster vulnerability.

He revealed that although fire incidents had declined in 2025, bushfires still destroyed more than 209 acres of farmland in 2024.

To address this, NADMO trained more than 1,000 farmers in Bawiesibelle, Banu, and Santijan on creating fire belts and adopting safer land management practices.

Mr Iddrisu outlined the four essential phases of disaster management, from preparedness measures such as desilting gutters and constructing fire belts, to timely and coordinated responses when disasters occur, and urged pupils and residents to play an active role in local disaster prevention efforts.