NADMO prepares for influx of immigrants from Burkina Faso

National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) is putting in precautionary measures to take care of influx of immigrants from Burkina Faso.

According to NADMO, as Ghana shares some of her borders with Burkina Faso, it was important to take the necessary measures so as not to be taken unawares by any eventualities.

The decision was taken at a joint emergency Technical Advisory Committee meeting between the Man- Made, & Relief and Reconstruction Committees of the NADMO in Accra.

The NADMO Deputy National Coordinator in-charge of Technical, Mr. Ebenezer Dosoo informed the meeting about NADMO’s preparedness and the collaboration efforts.

He said NADMO was in touch with the Regional Ministers of Northern, Upper East, and Upper West Regions for further updates.

“NADMO Coordinators in the three regions are very much on the ground working with the chiefs, opinion leaders, District Chief Executives and the Regional Ministers from the would-be affected communities, the Immigration, and the Ghana Health Service, among others,” he said.

Mr Dosoo said it was expected that in the event of people crossing to Ghana from Burkina Faso, reception centres would be set up at Kulungugu, Mognori, Paga, Bole and Hamile along the main entry points as well as a number of unapproved routes to receive them.

The meeting also agreed that a typical reception centre should have the ability to undertake ebola screening, contact tracing, and provide holding rooms, security, food, water, and sanitation.

The meeting stressed the need for Information Services Department and the National Commission for Civic Education to be well resourced to enable them embark on effective public education and not expect NADMO to bear the cost of public education in addition to its core functions.

It also agreed that the United Nations Systems, especially United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Food Programme, United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), UNHCR, and IOM should be invited to be part of the next meeting scheduled to take place during the week.

Present at the meeting were representatives from stakeholder organizations, including the Red Cross Society of Ghana, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, National Catholic Secretariat, Ghana Institution of Engineers, Ghana Ambulance Service, among others.