The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the Ashanti Region has launched Operation Stop Fire Disaster (OSFiD), a new campaign aimed at reducing the growing number of fire outbreaks across the region.
Since October 2025, about 30 markets in Greater Kumasi have been targeted with intensified fire safety sensitisation under the initiative, which is implemented jointly by NADMO, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Express Gas, and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).
Ghana currently records an average of 50 fire incidents daily, according to data from the Ministry of Interior covering the last quarter of 2024 and the first two months of 2025.
A team of safety and security officials inspecting the central business district of Kumasi found many shops lacking essential fire safety equipment, including fire alarms, smoke detectors, and adequate fire extinguishers.
Alhaji Mohammed Nasiri Ibrahim, Ashanti Regional Director of NADMO, described the findings as worrying, citing poor wiring systems, faulty electrical sockets, and the use of coal pots and gas cylinders in market stalls as major fire hazards. He also hinted that traders who continue to cook at market centres may soon be required to sign bonds under assembly by-laws.
Baffoe Antwi Niamah, Assistant Scientific Officer at the GSA, said poor housekeeping, dusty environments, and the presence of ignition sources are major triggers of fire outbreaks. He urged the public to routinely monitor electrical appliances, especially thermostatically controlled devices such as freezers and cold rooms.
Assistant Station Officer with the Kumasi Metro Fire Office, Theophilous Appiah Kwaku Appiah, added that safety violations remain widespread in marketplaces, despite regulations prohibiting cooking in market centres.
The OSFiD campaign seeks to raise awareness, enforce fire safety measures, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable fire incidents in the region.