The National President of UTAG on Thursday, October 19, 2023, led a delegation to visit some of the communities affected by floods caused by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam on a fact-finding mission.
The delegation made a stopover at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) and Somanya and were met on arrival by some of the Executive of UTAG-UESD The local executive led the delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of UESD.
During the courtesy call, the National President expressed gratitude to the VC for welcoming us to his institution. He informed the VC that UTAG was on a fact-finding mission to communities affected by recent flooding. Furthermore, he informed the VC of the possibility of UTAG leading a comprehensive impact study of the floods on livelihoods in the affected communities and beyond.
He noted that since UESD and UHAS are found close to the disaster zone UTAG Members in these Branches could lead such a comprehensive study, the outcome of which will greatly support evidence-based decision making and policy formulations to curtail the recurrence of such disasters.
On his part, the VC of UESD warmly welcomed the Delegation with enthusiasm and highly commended UTAG for conceiving the idea to visit the affected communities. He pledged his support to UTAG in this regard. He emphasized that UTAG should be viewed as an organization actively involved in national development issues such as the floods and policy advocacy rather than solely focused on member welfare.
Subsequently, some of the UESD Branch Executive guided the Delegation to the Attimpoku community, which had also suffered from the flooding. Within the community, the Delegation visited affected households including:
1. An elderly lady who sells abolo and whose wall had developed cracks due to the flooding.
2. A pregnant teenager and her husband who lost their belongings.
3. An unemployed young man whose two-bedroom house had collapsed as a result of the floods.
The National President told the gathered community members that the Delegation was there to sympathize with them and to assure them that UTAG solidly stands with them in these difficult times. According to him, UTAG perfectly understands their vulnerabilities, struggles and burdens and so stands firmly with them at their point of need. He said the Association is mobilizing to support the relief efforts of the state.
The Delegation donated unspecified amount of monies to the women and promised to return after mobilizing support from Members for the affected individuals, households and communities.
The delegation included:
1. Prof. Mamudu A. Akudugu – National President.
2. Dr. Nashiru Sulemana – National Treasurer
3. Dr. I. K. Abdul-Hamid – Administrative Secretary
4. Dr. Sadat – UTAG-UPSA President
5. Dr. Andrew Limantol – UTAG-UESD Vice President
6. Dr. Maximillian-Robert Doku – UTAG-UESD Treasurer
7. Dr. Cephas Delalorm – EC Chair of UTAG-UESD
The delegation has since returned safely to Somanya and Accra.