The Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has urged Ghanaians and institutions to comply with fire safety regulations to help reduce the increasing number of fire outbreaks across the country.
Speaking at a stakeholder engagement in Accra involving the Bank of Ghana’s Collateral Registry Department and the Ghana National Fire Service, the minister said strict compliance would be critical to the success of the newly introduced Automated Fire Safety Compliance System, known as AFCAS.
He said the digital platform, introduced by the Ghana National Fire Service, is intended to replace the manual and paper based inspection and certification process with a faster and more transparent system.
According to him, AFCAS will allow the Fire Service to schedule and monitor inspections online, track compliance in real time and identify high risk facilities before fires occur. The system will also enable businesses, property owners and individuals to apply for inspections, monitor their compliance status and receive digital certification electronically.
Mr Muntaka described fire safety as essential to protecting lives, property and investor confidence.
He said Ghana records about 110 fire outbreaks every month, causing damage worth millions of cedis. To improve data collection, he announced that the Ghana Statistical Service would soon begin documenting fire related property losses nationwide.
The minister also warned that from next year, the Ministry would publish the names of institutions that fail to comply with fire safety regulations as part of efforts to enforce the law.
“Let us comply with fire safety to prevent fires in the country,” he said.
He stressed that financial institutions are not permitted by law to accept properties as collateral unless they have been certified as fire compliant by the Ghana National Fire Service. He added that every building and institution is required to obtain fire safety certification.
Mr Muntaka said although the law could be enforced, cooperation among institutions and stakeholders would be necessary for the system to work effectively.
He added that AFCAS forms part of the government’s broader plan to use technology to improve the ease of doing business and protect investments in the country.
The Head of the Collateral Registry at the Bank of Ghana, Fred Asiamah Koranteng, assured the ministry of the Bank’s support in promoting compliance with fire safety regulations.
