Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has revealed that the specific weather warning for the torrential rains that triggered devastating floods across parts of Ghana was issued at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, a time when, he said, most Ghanaians were already asleep.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, the Asawase MP explained that the late timing of the alert made emergency preparedness more challenging, despite earlier forecasts indicating that June and July would experience heavy rainfall.
“If you ask the Meteo person, he did not say that it’s going to rain today. Ask him, when did they give us the actual alert that this will happen? Yesterday, at 11 p.m., when the majority of Ghanaians were asleep,” he said.
His remarks come after torrential rains claimed at least nine lives and caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure across parts of Accra and other affected communities.
Mr. Muntaka acknowledged that while government’s disaster response could be improved, Ghana’s limited financial resources restrict the scale of emergency interventions that can be undertaken.
“This country is not a rich country where we have shelters to collect people and relocate them. We have our limitations in terms of what we can do and the resources we have,” he said.
The Interior Minister also rejected suggestions that government officials had been complacent ahead of the disaster, insisting that key officials worked throughout the night as the crisis unfolded.
“So, yes, I agree we could do more, but let’s not make it look like all politicians are people who are not thinking about the country. I didn’t sleep, and I know the time I had to speak to the President early in the morning. I woke him up, and he remained engaged, asking questions throughout before going out to assess the situation,” he stated.
Mr. Muntaka disclosed that one of the immediate measures implemented during the emergency was to collaborate with the Ministry of Communications to send warning messages to the public through mobile phone networks.
He commended Communications Minister Sam George for responding swiftly to the request.
“I called him and said, ‘You need to help us. Can you get the telcos to send messages to people?’ He responded very quickly. I believe that is one of the things we need to continue doing,” he said.
The minister further revealed plans to strengthen coordination among government agencies to improve preparedness for future emergencies.
“I’ve spoken to the Secretary to the President, and we’ve agreed that he will convene all the ministers so that we can sit together and ensure we are better prepared,” he said.
Expressing sympathy to families affected by the floods, Mr. Muntaka said government deeply regrets the loss of lives and the widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“We are truly sorry for the loss of life. We are sorry that this disaster has devastated Accra,” he said.
However, he argued that the exceptional intensity of the rainfall overwhelmed the city’s drainage infrastructure.
“Believe me, the only way this rain could have been prevented from entering people’s homes was if the whole of Accra had been turned into one giant drain. You can see that clearly from the aerial view,” he added.
