News
Adhere strictly to building regulations – NADMO
This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) has been marked at Ho with a clarion call on property developers to adhere strictly to building regulations.
The event held recently was under the theme: Good Disaster Risk Governance.
The Volta Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Divine Bosson expressed concern over the continuous building of structures in waterways and unapproved locations with impunity by developers, saying that the trend was definitely a recipe for disaster.
He, therefore, called on the District Assemblies to take a firm and an uncompromising stance to reverse the trend before it resulted in a wide scale catastrophe.
Mr Bosson touched on the environment and said that there was still the need to plant more trees in the various communities to serve as windbreaks and also to check erosion in times of severe weather conditions.
The Regional director highlighted the need for a DRR policy to be incorporated into an act of parliament to ensure an appropriate funding for that purpose.
He said that inadequate funding and the lack of modern equipment to support disaster risks management operations were posing serious challenges to NADMO.
Shedding light on the achievements of the organisation in recent times, Mr Bosson said that NADMO had planted more than a 1,000 trees at various locations in the region this year, adding that climate change adaptation and its related issues were key on NADMO’s agenda.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa who graced the occasion also called on the citizenry to demonstrate their sense of nationalism and readily help to prevent disasters.
“For instance, we can grow grass on our lawns and plant trees in the surroundings to check erosion,” he said.
The Ghana Tourism Development Company, GTDC, under the leadership of Prof.Kobby Mensah has launched GTDC Campus Tourism Office at the University of Ghana.
The initiative aims to promote educational and domestic tourism by providing structured campus tour experiences showcasing key heritage sites, including the Archaeology Museum and the School of Performing Arts.
It will also offer students their first travel experience across the continent and inculcate in them love to visit Ghana’s heritage sites.
Addressing the gathering at the launch yesterday, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, described tourism as a vehicle for education and heritage preservation, stressing that the sector must inspire citizens to value and protect national culture for future generations.
The minister highlighted tourism’s connection to disciplines such as history, the arts, economics and environmental science.
The minister further noted that the private sector is the engine of tourism economy, adding that the engines require fuel, which is talents.” by investing in these young people today, you are securing the quality, the innovation and competitiveness of our own industry for tomorrow.
She added that the establishment of the office represents a deliberate investment in the intellectual capital of the country.
The GTDC boss, Prof.Kobby Mensah, said,”at GTDC, we believe that if our tourism has to be sustainable, we have to promote domestic tourism and a very big part of it is getting students to appreciate tourism and helping them to organise tours.”
He added that the University of Ghana itself is a huge heritage site which must be explored.
Prof.Kobby Mensah noted that the initiative, which is one of many to be established across the country, is a joint partnership between GTDC and University of Ghana.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof.Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said the University is a custodian of heritage which goes beyond the structures and welcomed the establishment of the first Campus Tourism Office.
She was optimistic that the office would be put to good use to achieve the intended purpose.
The launch brought together Stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to nurturing future tourism and hospitality professionals.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Ghana has officially accepted an invitation to serve as Guest Country at Burkina Faso’s 22nd National Culture Week in Bobo-Dioulasso from April 22 to May 2, 2026.
The invitation was extended by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Communication, Culture, Arts and Tourism, Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo, accompanied by the Ambassador of Burkina Faso to Ghana, H.E. David Kabré.
Receiving the delegation, Abla Dzifa Gomashie reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to deepening cultural diplomacy and strengthening historic ties between the two nations.
She noted that the festival will create opportunities for young creatives, expand exhibition platforms and promote commercial exchange within the creative sector.
The event will feature cultural performances, a community village and gastronomy fair, an arts market, literary engagements, and a craft and trade fair.
Ghana’s participation is expected to further strengthen bilateral relations between John Dramani Mahama and Ibrahim Traoré, while fostering collaboration within the creative ecosystems of both countries.
