Koforidua, May 20, GNA-The Omanhene of New Juaben, Daasebre Professor Oti-Boateng, has urged government to empower the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), to form volunteer forces as first line of disaster management in communities.

This, he said had become necessary because of the heavy toll that natural disasters were having on the global community in recent times and the pointer that preparedness made the difference in mitigating the consequence.

Daasebre Oti Boateng, who is also the chancellor of the All Nations University College in Koforidua, was speaking at the fifth convocation of the school where 265 students graduated.

According to Daasebre, the current state of the NADMO could not withstand the pressure of natural disaster and its resultant hardship on the people and called on government to look critically at disaster risk reduction and equip NADMO in that direction.

Citing Haiti and Chile, where over 2,000 persons and 700 were killed respectively, in the earthquake disasters that hit the two countries, he said that of the magnitude recorded for Chile was over 500 times greater than Haiti yet because Chile prepared, the consequence was moderate compared to Haiti.

He said with Haiti, the world had been called upon by the United Nations (UN) protocols to lend a support for the rebuilding of the country indicating that there was higher price to pay when a nation did not prepare for disaster.

Daasebre called on Ghanaians to disabuse their minds that Ghana was not a disaster prone country because the world phenomenon was changing and no country was insulated from disasters. The President of the School, Dr. Samuel Donkor, said the school through its affiliation with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, had developed a hospital information system to help the Ministry of Health in managing hospitals in the country.

He said the school had plans of establishing new programmes including Bachelors Degree programmes in Automotive and Mechanical Engineering and Masters Degree programmes in Business Administration and Nursing. Mr. Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, the deputy Minster of Health, commended the school for being the first private university to be accredited to run oil related courses and the first to produce bio-medical engineering graduates in the country.

He noted that the important role biomedical engineering played in the development of any health sector could not be over-emphasized regarding its sound foundation in physiology and physics to bio medical systems. Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister, urged the students to go out there and make a difference while they contributed to national development by eschewing laziness and craving for money. He admonished them that hard work pays and in the pursuit of wealth, they should be committed to the ideals of the national development to raise the image of their school and that of the private sector high. In all 10 graduands received first class honours in their chosen disciplines including two females, Ms. Henrietta Oware and Miss Ruth Nana Yeboah, in Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Engineering (biomedical) respectively.