68 potential beneficiaries of the Appiatse phase three housing project are demanding monetary compensation instead of waiting for their homes to be rebuilt.
The affected people lost their homes when a mammoth explosion occurred on Thursday afternoon, January 20, 2022, at Apiatse between Bogoso and Bawdie in the Western Region of Ghana. A mining explosive vehicle moving from Tarkwa to Chirano mines collided with a motorcycle. Several people were injured, some lost their lives, and an entire community lost their homes and other belongings.
The unfortunate incident forced the government to provide makeshift shelters for the residents in anticipation of redeveloping the community so survivors could have decent permanent places of abode. The plan was categorized into phases one, two, and three.
The government completed phases 1 and 2 and handed them over to some residents without commencing work on the site for the third phase.
The delay in completing the redevelopment project has rendered sixty-eight households homeless. The victims attempted to contact the government through various communication channels to address their concerns, but all efforts were to no avail.
They threatened to evict any unauthorized occupants on the land allocated for the project and erect their shelters if the government failed to fulfill its promise by August 31 but later reneged. The government ignored the threat or did little to assuage their pain, frustrating the protestors. The situation compelled them to register their displeasure through street protest.
They appealed to the authorities to address their unresolved plight by releasing funds to build houses for themselves, but this request also fell on deaf ears.
The households whose structures were demolished for the first phase were promised new buildings but have not received them after months of waiting.
Meanwhile, the divisional chief of Bepo, Nana Kojo Brembi II, has expressed his deep disappointment with Benito Bio, Chairman of the Appiatse Reconstruction Committee, for failing to help the homeless accident victims.
These 68 individuals had their houses and land used to expand the first phase of the reconstruction.
In response to the protest, Mr. Benito Owusu Bio, chairman of the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Committee, announced on September 17, 2024, that work on the final phase would commence in October 2024.
However, in a surprising turn, Nana Ata Kojo Brembi II, chief of Bepo, allegedly ordered a halt to the Appiatse Reconstruction project to avert a land ownership dispute despite engineers being on-site and ready to begin work, asserting that the land had been sold.
This development disrupted the project’s timeline and the well-being of the Appiatse residents.
Beneficiaries of Appiatse phase three are growing impatient and demanding their money instead of waiting to rebuild their homes, especially as Ghana goes to the polls in December.
