The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Samuel Nartey George, has announced plans to support businesses affected by the devastating June 29 floods, following the provision of emergency relief to thousands of displaced residents.
According to the MP, the next phase of the recovery effort will focus on helping flood victims rebuild their livelihoods rather than relying solely on humanitarian assistance.
Speaking after distributing relief items to affected communities, Mr George said the emergency intervention was necessary after he personally witnessed the extent of the destruction caused by the floods.
“Two Mondays ago, we were here in the aftermath of the rain. It was a sad sight. I saw for myself the devastation that had happened, and so we decided to quickly put together a few things. I spoke to a few friends who rallied around me, things that we could put together, and so we’ve come in to make an intervention in the communities,” he added.
Mr George disclosed that about 12 communities within the constituency were affected by the floods, with five recording the highest levels of destruction.
He said more than 6,000 residents were assisted during the relief distribution exercise, with 1,200 beneficiaries each in Lekpongunor and Ahwiam, nearly 1,700 in Old Ningo, about 1,500 in Afienya, and almost 1,000 in Dawhenya.
He noted that while the larger communities received direct assistance from his office, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) was tasked with distributing relief items to seven other affected communities with relatively smaller populations.
“So NADMO has sent in some stuff, and I’ve asked that the NADMO coordinator distribute those in the seven communities where the numbers are less, and then we will handle the main communities. It’s basically a way of supporting them,” he explained.
Mr George said the relief package included about 850 bags of rice, roughly 250 cartons of cooking oil, tinned tomatoes, mackerel, Milo, sugar, Lipton tea, milk and other essential supplies.
“We’re doing about 850 bags of rice, about 250 cartons of oil, tinned tomatoes, mackerel, Milo, sugar, Lipton, milk. It’s quite substantial, the resources that have gone in here,” he stated.
Despite the scale of the relief effort, the MP stressed that long-term recovery would require restoring livelihoods rather than extending food assistance indefinitely.
“The next phase for me will not be to continue that. It’s to begin to look at my next edition of the MP’s Livelihood Empowerment Programme, which is something I do,” he said.
Mr George revealed that under the initiative, 167 people were supported to establish businesses last year, adding that this year’s programme would prioritise residents whose businesses were destroyed by the floods.
“Hopefully, we will assist a number of people whose businesses have been affected by this flood under that initiative, giving them something to help them start their businesses again. For me, ultimately, it’s not about handing them bags of rice and oil; it’s about equipping them to earn a living again because they were living their own lives. They weren’t depending on me for rice and oil before this happened to them.”
