Disaster relief logistics operation: an insight from Ghana

Abstract

Purpose

Coordinating logistics in the midst of a relief operation is often an overwhelming job that can jeopardise the human life and assets if not done rapidly and practicably. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of relief logistics in a disaster situation in Ghana with emphasis on the coordination of emergency relief operation and effectiveness of inventory management.

Design/methodology/approach

A stratified sampling method was employed to a sample of 134 respondents from regional, district and municipal offices in the National Disaster Management Organisation in Ghana using a self-administered questionnaire.

Findings

The findings from this study revealed an effective assessment time but late delivery of relief items. They also revealed issues with respect to resource availability, inventory management and coordination with relief actors which resulted in slow response to affected population.

Practical implications

The result from this study reveals an ineffective disaster relief response. The practical implications of this issue have been highlighted. In addition, ways to effectively address this issue have been discussed.

Originality/value

Drawing insight from previous work and study finding, the paper presents a framework for effective relief logistics operation focussing on all relevant actors in each phase of disaster.

Citation

Owusu-Kwateng, K., Abdul Hamid, M. and Debrah, B. (2017), "Disaster relief logistics operation: an insight from Ghana", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 6 No. 1, pp. 4-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-10-2016-0022