Students and pupils who were selected to march at the Independence Day celebrations at the Black Star Square were on Thursday left stranded without any protection as torrential rains disrupted the event.
Ghana’s 57th Independence celebration was almost marred by the heavy rains and the pupils were left standing in the rain for almost 15 minutes before some left to find protection.
However, the pupils and security personnel defied the rains which President John Mahama described as “showers of blessing” and waited in the rain for the president to arrive.
In his address, the President asked the Ghana Meteorological Services to sharpen their skills as their warning about the rainfall arrived too late saying, “we must sharpen our ability to be able to predict the behaviour of the weather in order to be able to adapt to it”.
The President also warned against the impact of climate change and asked the Service to implement “climate change adaptability” to be “better able to predict the weather.”
Reports from the 2014 event indicates there were no alternative plans for any eventuality. There were no umbrellas on site to protect dignitaries either.
By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana