Dr Kingsley Agyemang speaks to BBC, calls for dedicated fund to tackle Africa’s flood risk
The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, has called on African governments to establish dedicated and legally protected disaster risk management funds to help countries prepare for and respond to increasingly devastating floods. Speaking in an interview with the BBC’s Focus on Africa, Dr Agyemang said African governments must move away from […]
Dr Kingsley Agyemang, a Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, has urged African governments to create dedicated and legally protected funds to combat the continent's increasing flood risks. In a BBC interview, the insurance expert emphasized the need for countries to shift from treating floods as emergencies to incorporating proactive prevention and resilience measures.
Despite having effective early warning systems, many African nations struggle to respond effectively due to a lack of financing and coordination, said Dr Agyemang, who has over two decades of experience in risk management. He proposed an integrated funding model drawing resources from various revenue streams, including government budgets, mineral revenues, corporate taxes, levies, and donor support.
This would allow countries to build financial reserves and invest proactively in flood resilience. Dr Agyemang, also Vice-Chairman of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, stressed that disaster preparedness should be a core responsibility of government, given the fundamental importance of protecting lives and property. He called for legally protected funds to prevent governments from diverting them to other priorities.
The proposal comes in the wake of devastating floods that struck parts of West Africa in June, causing at least 12 deaths in Ghana and affecting thousands of households. While funding alone would not solve Africa's flood challenges, Dr Agyemang identified institutional coordination issues, political interference, and low insurance penetration as major barriers to effective flood resilience.
He cited flood reinsurance arrangements in the UK and the US as examples to emulate. The Abuakwa South MP also highlighted the broader public health impacts of flooding, such as the spread of waterborne diseases. He stressed that regular contributions to a national disaster risk management fund could enable governments to build reserves and deploy resources for prevention and response measures.
However, he stressed that legislation would be crucial to protect these funds from government diversion. So far, Dr Agyemang has not identified any African country operating a legally backed disaster risk management fund. He called for sustained advocacy to persuade governments to adopt a more proactive approach to disaster management.
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