Kumasi: Divisional Officer II (DOII) Anthony Appiah, the KNUST District Fire Commander in the Kumasi Metropolis, has cautioned the public against erecting structures and buildings in unauthorized areas. He emphasized that such practices impede the fire service's ability to respond effectively to emergencies, including fire outbreaks and related disasters.
According to Ghana News Agency, DOII Appiah shared this advice while speaking at the Second Annual General Meeting and Capacity Building Conference of the Local Government Association of Physical Planners (LoGSAPP), which concluded in Kumasi over the weekend. The two-day conference, under the theme 'Planning for Resilient, Inclusive, Climate-sensitive and Disaster-free Communities for Efficient Infrastructure Development and Service Delivery', gathered physical planners, government agencies, academia, traditional authorities, students, and climate and environmental experts.
Sponsored by the World Bank and the German Development Cooperation, the meeting addressed critical issues within the nation's physical development planning sector, focusing on building sustainable and resilient communities. It also aimed to enlighten participants on the legal frameworks governing physical planning and development.
DOII Appiah called for effective collaboration among stakeholders to decongest cities and praised LOGSAPP for fostering strong partnerships with relevant institutions and stakeholders in development processes. He stressed the importance of physical planners working closely with state agencies and departments such as the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and experts in climate, water, and land to build resilient communities.
He also noted that haphazard development contributes to flooding and other man-made disasters, like the recurring market fires experienced in parts of the country. Mrs. Gifty Nyarko, the National President of LOGSAPP, later informed the Ghana News Agency that the AGM aimed to build networks and formulate strategies for developing resilient, sustainable, and climate-smart infrastructure systems. She stated, "We seek to ensure that Ghana has communities capable of mitigating climate change impacts like heavy storms and flooding."
