Ghana loses $200m annually to floods, droughts — GMet

The Ghana Meteorological Agency, GMet, says Ghana loses about 200 million dollars annually to floods and droughts.

The Deputy Director-General of GMet, Ignatius Williams, said this when a team from the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan, CBBC, an initiative of the People, Planet and Peace Foundation, paid a courtesy visit to the agency in Accra.

Williams said Ghana faced escalating climate hazards that cost the country billions of dollars annually and claimed hundreds of lives.

According to him, the losses will continue to rise without strengthened early warning systems and improved climate resilience measures.

“In 2023, the impact of the Akosombo Dam spillage caused severe flooding that devastated livelihoods, displaced thousands of families and resulted in losses estimated at about 141 million dollars.

“In June 2015, the Accra flood disaster caused massive economic losses, claimed more than 200 lives and resulted in food losses estimated at 108 million dollars.

“In 2024, documented drought impacts affected 135,822 farmers across 571,745 hectares of farmland,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr Joseph Portuphy, Deputy Director, Synoptic Meteorology and Forecasting at GMet, said the agency was established to provide efficient, reliable and timely meteorological and climate information.

According to him, the agency discharges this responsibility by collecting, processing, archiving and disseminating accurate weather data to support socio-economic development, public safety and disaster risk reduction.

“GMet’s operational policy is guided by the Ghana Meteorological Agency Act, 2004 (Act 682), and focuses on providing specialised forecasts to protect lives and property, particularly in the aviation, maritime and agricultural sectors.

“The agency also promotes the integration of climate services into national policies to strengthen resilience against extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and sea-level rise,” he said.

Contributing, Mrs Felicity Ahfianyo of the Central Analysis and Forecasting Department of the agency, said GMet had intensified efforts to ensure that all meteorological operations, data handling processes and equipment calibrations complied with the standards and protocols of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

According to her, the agency serves as the sole authority for official weather data in Ghana while making climate records accessible to the public and researchers through its publications.

In another development, Chief Osim Kwatia II of the Amanor Krom Kingdom in Ghana commended participants of the CBBC initiative when he received the team at his palace.

He stressed the need for collaboration among governments, communities and organisations in tackling climate change.

“We see climate change as a collective challenge and will continue to support efforts aimed at addressing it.

“Keeping the environment clean and green requires collective action and collaboration,” the chief said.

NAN