Advocacy Group Warns Disaster Plans Are Failing the Most At-Risk Populations
A Ghana-based advocacy group, ACURPIG, is calling for urgent reforms in national disaster management, insisting that flood response policies must be made gender-responsive to better protect women and children who are disproportionately affected during climate-related emergencies.
The group warns that current flood preparedness and response systems are not adequately designed to address the unique vulnerabilities faced by women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities when disasters strike.
According to ACURPIG, flooding events often expose deep social inequalities, with women and children bearing the brunt of displacement, loss of livelihoods, heightened health risks, and limited access to emergency relief.
The advocacy body argues that disaster planning in Ghana has historically focused more on infrastructure and emergency containment, while paying insufficient attention to social protection systems that ensure vulnerable groups are safeguarded before, during, and after disasters.
Call for Urgent Policy Overhaul
ACURPIG is urging policymakers to integrate gender considerations into all levels of flood management, from early warning systems and evacuation planning to relief distribution and post-disaster recovery.
The group stresses that gender-responsive policies are not optional, but essential for building resilient communities capable of withstanding increasingly severe weather patterns driven by climate change.
It also calls for improved data collection on how floods impact different demographic groups, arguing that effective planning is impossible without accurate, disaggregated information.
Women and Children at the Centre of Crisis
The organisation highlights that during flood emergencies, women often face increased caregiving burdens, limited mobility, and heightened risks of exploitation, while children experience disruptions to education, nutrition, and safety.
Without targeted interventions, ACURPIG warns, these challenges could deepen existing inequalities and slow down recovery efforts in affected communities.
Rising Climate Threats Intensify Debate
The call comes amid growing concerns over the frequency and intensity of flooding across parts of the country, with experts warning that climate change is likely to worsen the situation if adaptive measures are not urgently strengthened.
ACURPIG insists that a shift toward inclusive disaster governance is critical to ensuring that no group is left behind as Ghana strengthens its climate resilience strategies.
As flooding continues to affect communities, the debate over how best to protect the most vulnerable is expected to intensify—placing renewed pressure on policymakers to act decisively.
