How long before the reconstruction of Appiate?

On 20 January, the Bogoso explosion caused the total destruction of the village of Appiate, a real catastrophe that caused much grief throughout the country. The government set up forthwith a fund to support the reconstruction of the community, collecting donations from several private companies and in particular collecting the fine of Maxam, the company responsible for the explosion (USD 5 million dollars out of 6). But while the initial enthusiasm promised a rapid reconstruction, the delays keep piling up, leaving the community destitute.

Citizens surviving in deplorable living conditions

For months, the villagers of Appiate have been living in difficult conditions. Relief camps have been set up, notably in Odumase. But the conditions in these camps and temporary housing are quite deplorable. The survivors of the explosion live in promiscuity, with no real privacy. Children find it very difficult to return to school because of the distance they have to travel to get to school. The flimsy shelters, especially tents, provided to residents do not protect them from natural disasters either. Residents have had to deal with torrential rains on numerous occasions, leaving them in great distress. Access to services is also more difficult, including health care, which is essential for those still suffering from the aftermath of the explosion. Moreover, the destruction of the community goes hand in hand with the loss of economic activities and livelihoods for the residents. In the current economic climate, marked by high inflation and the decline in the value of the cedi, the community's inability to fend for itself economically and its dependence on sporadic donations from benefactors leaves the villagers in a state of permanent incapacity and massive despair. Thus, in addition to the trauma of the Appiate community, there are real structural hurdles to which the State has not yet been able to find perennial solutions.

Why hasn't construction begun despite the large amount of funds raised?

The Appiate Support Fund officially began receiving donations in early February. Major sources of money inflows from the private sector, particularly the mining industry, include $5 million from Maxam and $1 million from Kinross Chirano. Newmont Ghana Limited, Anglogold Ashanti Limited, Goldfields Ghana Limited and Shandong Gold Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited are among the donors. However, as of 9 August, the fund had only received 45 million cedis, a shortfall of 25 million cedis, according to the government. But while increasingly more voices are calling on the government to begin work without further delay, it has continued for months to use the excuse of lack of funds. This pretext has also been used many times to justify the postponement of the start of the reconstruction, which was supposed to begin on 15 May, before being postponed to July, and now sine die, given the lack of information on the start of the work for several weeks.

Why the inertia? Despite the words of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Samuel Abu Jinapor, that the money given to the Appiate community would not be misappropriated or misused, the inaction of the state over the past few months is a cause for concern. Furthermore, the lack of transparency on the identity of donors and the exact amount contributed by each of them does not help to calm down some rumors of misappropriation of these funds.

Finally, what are the state's priorities? Why is the state more involved in the reconstruction of the national cathedral than in the reconstruction of the Appiate community, which is of vital importance to the lives of our countrymen?

   Comments0