The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, has announced that the government will soon begin demolishing unauthorized structures on the Sakumono Ramsar site and buildings erected on waterways in Tema and surrounding communities.
This decision, she revealed, stems from a directive by President John Dramani Mahama issued last Thursday, as part of renewed efforts to tackle the recurring problem of flooding in Accra.
Speaking at a media briefing, Minister Ocloo stated that the demolitions will commence after the confirmation of new Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the region.
“This time, there will be no exceptions. We have all witnessed the consequences. If a building is on a waterway, it has to go,” she emphasized.
She disclosed that she received instructions directly from the Presidency to take urgent action in Sakumono and Tema. “On Thursday, I received a call from the Presidency instructing us to move to Sakumono and Tema to ensure that the illegal structures are pulled down. We will take action to ensure that those buildings are removed,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Klottey Korley, Dr. Zanetor Agyemang Rawlings, has also called for stronger collaboration among assembly members to curb land encroachment on key sites, including the Osu landing beach.
During a tour of the constituency with the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Dr. Rawlings urged local authorities to take complaints from residents seriously and act to protect public lands before situations escalate.
“The work you do is not only about the ongoing projects, it is also about some of the real challenges that the people are complaining about,” she noted. “The assembly needs to be empowered more. This is because you have the mandate and there are task forces at the assembly, and we have to protect the land.”
She added that proactive measures were needed to avoid forced evictions in the future. “We have to deal with this issue so that we don’t get to the point where we get to demolish people’s homes when we can prevent it in the first place,” she said.
The announcements come amid increasing public pressure for authorities to act decisively against unplanned development contributing to urban flooding and environmental degradation.
