The Ghana Chamber of Mines has donated relief items valued at about GH¢2 million to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to support victims of the June 29 floods and other natural disasters.

The items, presented at the NADMO headquarters in Accra yesterday, included 1,500 mattresses, 1,500 blankets, 100 cartons of baby food, bags of rice, maize, gari, sugar , beans, bottles of cooking oil,  1,000 pairs of Wellington boots, gloves, detergents, disinfectants and bleach to support NADMO's operations.

Presenting the items, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Kenneth Ashigbey, said the donation was intended to provide relief and comfort to families affected by the floods as they worked to rebuild their lives.

He expressed condolence to families who lost relatives in the disaster and said the chamber stood in solidarity with all those whose homes, businesses and livelihoods had been destroyed.

Responsible mining

Mr Ashigbey said the donation also reflected the chamber's commitment to responsible mining and corporate citizenship.

He explained that responsible mining went beyond extracting minerals to investing in people, supporting communities and standing with the nation during difficult times.

He commended member companies of the chamber for contributing to the donation despite some of them also being affected by the floods.

Mr Ashigbey said while the heavy rains contributed to the flooding, human activities had worsened the impact of the disaster, citing illegal mining, construction in watercourses and wetlands, poor waste disposal and disregard for engineering advice as factors that had increased the country's vulnerability to flooding.

"Nature delivered the rains, but human beings multiplied the disaster," he said, adding that the country must ensure that illegal mining, destruction of wetlands and unauthorised developments in flood-prone areas were not allowed to continue.

Commendation

Receiving the items on behalf of the government, the Deputy Minister for the Interior, Ebenezer Telarbi, commended the Chamber of Mines and its member companies for the timely intervention.

He said the flooding was a personal tragedy for many families whose homes, livelihoods and loved ones had been lost, and that the donation would provide immediate support to affected households.

Mr Telarbi assured the chamber that the relief items would be distributed fairly and transparently to those most in need.

"The relief items being presented today may not replace everything that you have lost, but they represent something equally important — hope, compassion and solidarity," he said.

He urged other corporate organisations, faith-based institutions and philanthropists to support the ongoing relief and recovery efforts, as disaster management was a shared responsibility.

The deputy minister also called for stronger disaster preparedness through proper physical planning, improved drainage systems, protection of watercourses, responsible waste management and strict enforcement of development regulations in flood-prone areas.