Madam Charlotte Nana Norman, the Director for Climate Change Adaptation of NADMO, who disclosed this, said the effective collaboration would ensure that structures were not built in flood-prone areas in order to prevent floods.

She said a needs assessment carried out by the World Bank on the June 3 Disaster at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange recommended that there should be more collaboration between agencies; both governmental and non-governmental, in terms of prevention and integration and build public resilience in times of disaster.

Madam Norman disclosed in her contribution to a panel discussion at the inaugural edition of The Global Citizens Forum organized by Rainbow Innovations, a network of experts in project management, on the theme: “SDG 11 and 13: The Benchmark for Sustainable Urban and Rural Disaster Management for climate action in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa”.

The forum is a signature dialogue to deliberate on pressing issues related to sustainable development in Africa and globally with professionals, 17 government organisations and tertiary institutions in Ghana and West Africa.

It features global citizens actively deliberating on the socio-economic challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa and how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals can serve as a map or benchmark in the innovation of solutions.

The series aims at engaging professionals and specialists from sectors inter-related to the attainment of the SDGs in Ghana.  Some eminent personalities that spearheaded the panel discussion include Professor Philip Duku Osei, the Deputy Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, Mr Kojo Williams, Co-Founder of Centre for CSR, West Africa, and Ms Heather Tratmen, the Urban Planner for Sustainable Development.

Madam Norman said the lack of collaboration between the various agencies had resulted in irregularities in planning in the city and anytime it rained, it caused flood displacing people from their homes. “We realise that it is the lack of collaboration that is why somebody will grant a permit to someone to build knowing very well that the place is not meant to build. 

“Now what we are doing is that we are coming up with a collaborative effort so that we all sit together at a table with the various relevant stakeholders to plan our city properly so that when we have rains it does not kill people …,” she said.

Mr Stephen Selasie Asuo, the President of Rally for the Goals, an NGO championing the attainment of the SDGs, said the forum would visit 17 public institutions to sensitize them on the various goals and align their duties with those that matter to them.

These institutions, he said, include: Ghana Armed Forces, Energy Commission, Ghana Maritime Authority and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to create one initiative to involve all partners to achieve the SDGs.