The government intends to rebuild the shattered Appiate township as a modern Ghanaian village community, which is green and sustainable.
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, said under the instructions of President Nana Akufo-Addo the community should be well laid out and should be an example, for other developments in the future.
Mr. Jinapor made the remarks when he inaugurated a 7-member reconstruction committee on Thursday, 3 February 2022 in Accra.
The committee is tasked to facilitate the reconstruction of the Apiate committee.
After the January 20 explosion, government has undertaken some interventions to get the community back on its feet.
Among the interventions are investigations into the incident; the setting up of the Appiate Support Fund to mobilise funds for the reconstruction of the town, with the latest one being the inauguration of the Appiate Reconstruction Committee.
The committee is chaired by the deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of forestry, Benito Owusu Bio.
It has its members drawn from the Ministry of Works and Housing, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority and the Ghana Institute of Architects.
Speaking at a brief inauguration ceremony, the sector minister tasked the committee to ensure that the new community would become a model to be emulated by other settlements in the country.
He noted that, “the President has tasked us to make sure that we remain on top of the situation and will respond to this horrific incidents very strongly and forcefully, and government continues to be on top of this particular matter.”
“Information we are receiving from the Regional Coordinating Council indicates that, by and large, some sense of normalcy is returning to the community. The important point to note when incidents like that happen is that they bring up all kinds of situations, but all these matters have to be handled. Today, we are here to deal with all important major aspects of this incident, which is the reconstruction of the community of Appiate. The President is very strong on the need to rebuild a community. The President has charged the ministry and allied organisations of the government to ensure that this happens,” he said.
“The Ministry of Works and Housing, which is the ministry responsible for public housing in Ghana, has a representative on this committee. It has nominated the Director of Housing at the Ministry of Works and Housing. They are members because the President has asked us to build this community as a model, a Ghanaian village community, which is green, and which is sustainable, which is well laid out, and which can be an example, for other developments in the future”.
The Chief of Bepo Traditional Area, Nana Attah Kojo Bremibi, the Chief in whose jurisdiction the explosion at Appiate occurred, welcomed the remodelling of the town and called on government to immediately begin the rebuilding process.
The Chairman of the Committee, Benito Owusu-Bio indicated an inventory of all affected structures has been taken, hence work will soon begin.
