He said the country's economic viability and environmental health were at risk due to bush fires caused mainly by human activity.

Dr Salih said this during the launch of the 2019/2020 Bush Fire Campaign at Wechiau in the Wa West District, on the theme: "My Environment, My Life: Stop Bush Fires Now."

He said bush fire prevention must be seen as a collective responsibility among all stakeholders not the sole responsibility of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).

He said MMDAs would be directed to form bush fire committees and volunteers to help reduce the incidence of bush fires in the Region.

He urged them to establish a fund for the volunteers to motivate them to work had in fighting the menace as such volunteerism mostly died out due to lack of motivation.

The Minister applauded traditional leaders and other stakeholders for their role in fire control in their various communities and urged them to assist the volunteers to deliver on their mandate.

DOI Abraham Nii Dodoo, the Acting Upper West Regional Commander of GNFS, said 64 fire volunteers had been trained comprising 61 males and three females to assist in fighting bush fires.

They were selected from communities in the Wa West District, he said, and advised other assemblies to emulate the example.

"The GNFS had recorded an increase in fire cases in the Region from 27 bush fires in 2018 to 32 cases in 2019, which indicates that the importance of the fire volunteers cannot be over emphasized," DOI Dodoo said.

The 2019/2020 bush fire campaign was launched by the Giz/ComCashew Initiatve, Wa West District Assembly, Wechiau Naa, Forestry Service Division, NADMO, Volta River Authority, STAR Ghana, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency.