More transparency required in the Apiate support fund

On 10th February, President Akufo-Addo directed that 5 million dollars of the 6 million’s Maxam fine be donated to the Apiate support fund. The initiative was praised, but Apiate’s victims and the public are calling for more transparency.

What happened?

Ghana is still in shock following the violent explosion that left 17 dead and around 60 injured in Apiate, a village in the region of Bogoso, some new 300 km from Accra. Just after midday on 20 January, a lorry transporting explosives collided with a motorcyclist. Fire broke out, resulting in an explosion 15 minutes later. The blast from the explosion left the village in ruins, and a giant crater right in the middle of the village’s main road. The explosives were under the legal responsibility of Maxam, a Spanish group that develops, manufactures and sells explosives for civil engineering infrastructure, the extractive sector and defence.

Historic of drastic measures taken

On 7 February, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources announced that Maxam had been fined 6 million dollars. While such a measure is to be welcomed, the use of such funds must also be questioned. The victims have already expressed their concerns. How can they be assured that the funds will be properly spent on the reconstruction? Safeguards must be put in place. Many think that a committee with representatives of civil society and the opposition should be set up. As a reminder, misuses of public funds have skyrocketed in recent years. The graph below records irregularities committed by state institutions according to the auditor general:

Opaque investigations

Since the accident, at least three investigations have been carried out, but nothing was communicated to the public. The different investigations have also focused in particular on whether or not security protocols were adhered to for transporting this kind of cargo. According to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the lorry had no escort – even though it was transporting highly explosive substances. By now, the investigations should also have determined whether or not the poor condition of the road was a factor. In the wake of such trauma, the authorities must share the entire range of responses they found.