Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak has revealed that the specific warning about the torrential rains that triggered devastating floods across parts of Ghana was issued at 11 pm on Sunday, a time when, he said, “the majority of Ghanaians were asleep.”

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Monday, the Asawase MP said the late timing of the alert made emergency preparations more difficult, even though authorities had earlier been warned that June and July would bring heavy rains.

“But 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 (Sunday, June 28), at 11 pm when the majority of Ghanaians were asleep,” he said.

His comments come after torrential rains left at least nine people dead and caused widespread destruction to homes, businesses and public infrastructure across parts of Accra and other affected communities.

Mr Muntaka acknowledged that government could improve its disaster response but insisted the country’s financial constraints limit what can realistically be done during such emergencies.

“This country is not a rich country, where we have shelters so we can collect people and go and put them there. This country is not that rich,” he said.

He added, “Let’s not be running away from actual responsibility and facing the reality. This country is not rich. We have our limitations in terms of what we can do, in terms of the resources we have.”

The Interior Minister also pushed back against suggestions that government officials had been complacent before the floods.

“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; they are just thinking about themselves. They put them in positions; they are not proactive,” he said.

“I can bet you, we didn’t sleep; I didn’t sleep, and I know the time that I have to speak to the president early in the morning; I woke him up, and he’s been up and asking questions almost throughout, and he went around to say so.”

Mr Muntaka disclosed that one of the immediate measures taken during the emergency was to work with the Communications Ministry to send warning messages through mobile phone networks.

He praised Communications Minister Sam George for responding quickly to the request.

“I called him, I said that look, you need to help us, can you get the telcos to send messages to people? He was very swift. I believe that is the thing that we need to be doing,” he said.

The minister also revealed plans for stronger coordination across government agencies ahead of future emergencies.

“I’ve spoken to the secretary to the president. We’ve agreed that as the secretary to the president, he will be able to pull all of us as ministers together to come and sit down and make sure that we prepare ourselves.”

Expressing sympathy to affected families, Mr Muntaka said government deeply regrets the lives lost and the scale of destruction.

“Yes, we are really very sorry for the loss of life. We are sorry that this thing has really devastated Accra,” he said.

However, he argued that the intensity of the rainfall overwhelmed the city’s drainage system.

“Believe me, the only way this rain today could have been avoided from going into people’s homes was to lump the whole of Accra as a drain, because you can see it from the aerial view.”