The press in Ghana on Friday focuses on the increase of disasters in the country over the past three years and the commendation of the paperless system introduced in the ports.
The Ghanaian Times says natural and man made disasters, including wild fires, floods, fuel explosions, pest infestation and collapse of buildings have increased from 962 in 2016 to 2,007 in the year 2018.
The figure for 2017 was 1,134. The newspaper says the figure excludes road accidents.
It said that last year, disasters in the country affected 314,472 in people in 3,386 communities, 1,073 schools, 28,095 houses, and 17,957 farmlands.
The disasters resulted in the death of 142 persons.
The newspapers said the statistics was made available during a forum in Accra on Thursday to solicit stakeholders’ inputs on the “Voluntary National Review (VNR” draft report, scheduled to be presented to the United Nations (UN) in July.
The report is done in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN.
The Business and Financial Times, for its part, states that the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) has commended the government for the implementation of the paperless port system, noting that it has reduced the days importers used to clear goods in the past.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PEF, Nana Osei Bonsu, told the newspaper that the system, among other things, “has helped to reduce the amount of time spent clearing goods at the country’s ports”.
DAP/GIK/APA