The Information Minister, Fatimatu Abubakar, has revealed that about 8,000 fire personnel were recruited into the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) under President Akufo-Addo's tenure.

According to her, the outgoing government has exceptionally performed well in resourcing state institutions like the GNFS to carry out their mandate effectively.

This follows the unfortunate fire incident that occurred on Thursday, January 2, at the popular Kantamanto market in Accra which ravaged large sections of the market, affecting over 30,000 traders and destroying more than 7,000 shops.

Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, January 4, Fatimatu revealed that the capacity of fire personnel in January 2017 was only 7,000 nationwide, stating that an additional 8,000 had been recruited, bringing the total number of personnel in the service to 15,000.

“By January 2017, the capacity of the fire service in terms of personnel was just 7,000 men across the country, now we have recruited an additional 8,000, and on record, if you check the capacity of the Ghana National Fire Service, they have 15,000 personnel,” she revealed.

She also mentioned that 24 fire posts have been established since 2017, refuting claims that no measures had been taken to combat fire threats.

Fatimatu further highlighted measures that could be taken to prevent or mitigate such disasters in the future.

“I am saying sometimes, disasters happen unannounced. If there is education on early management, if there is funding to recapitalize and see how the infrastructure can be improved to make these areas more accessible, why not” she added.

Read also: Fire hydrants couldn’t be located at Kantamanto – GNFS on Kantamanto fire