The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) have called on churches and mosques to help communities prepare for worsening El Nino conditions.
The appeal was made on Monday, November 9, during a GreenFaith Ghana breakfast meeting in Accra focused on faith-led climate resilience. It follows the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s national El Nino response plan, which aims to protect crop production.
With warnings that the weather pattern could increase food, electricity and import costs, Korle Klottey Municipal NADMO Deputy Director Esenam Adzo Norgey Apawu said religious organisations were well placed to turn forecasts into practical advice for households.
“Information about El Nino must not remain in offices and meeting rooms. It must reach ordinary people in their homes and communities, where preparedness begins,” Apawu said.
She also asked traditional authorities to support the preparedness campaign.
Forecast risks from October 2026
GMet Deputy Director of Research and Applied Meteorology Francisca Martey said El Nino was expected to reach its peak between October and December 2026. She forecast hotter, drier and dustier Harmattan conditions from late November through March 2027.
“Prepare now for the October 2026 to March 2027 risk window,” Martey said.
She warned that northern Ghana could face increased heat stress and a higher risk of meningitis between February and April 2027. Southern parts of the country, however, could remain vulnerable to flash floods.
Martey said rain-fed maize, millet, rice and cocoa were particularly exposed to the expected conditions. She also cautioned that reduced inflows into the Volta Basin could affect hydroelectricity generation at Akosombo and Kpong.
At the same time, intense storms following prolonged dry spells could lead to sudden spillages from the facilities.
“Weaker basin rains cut lake inflows. Yet short, intense storms after dry spells can force emergency spillage, as in October 2023.”
“Plan for both over the next 12-18 months,” Martey added.
She proposed establishing a national El Nino preparedness task force, supported by monthly reports and hazard maps tailored to individual districts.
Other measures she recommended included planting drought-tolerant seeds, monitoring Volta Lake triggers and securing meningitis vaccines in advance.
Separately, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Monday that, with funding from Canada and Norway, it was working with NADMO, GMet, the Agriculture Ministry and District Assemblies on a National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and an early-warning platform for farmers.
