Akosombo dam spillage: Gov’t budgets GH¢220 million to support affected communities

The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has indicated that government will provide the needed relief to support communities affected by the flooding caused by the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams.

Several communities in the Volta, Easter, and Greater Accra Regions flooded last month after the Volta River Authority (VRA) spilled the dams in a move to preserve the dams from collapse.

Presenting the 2024 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government to Parliament on Wednesday, November 15, Ken Ofori-Atta disclosed that government has budgeted GH¢220 million to support the affected communities.

“Mr. Speaker, the visit of the officials of the Ministry of Finance and myself, in collaboration with VRA, to the victims of the Akosombo Dam Spillage in Mepe was truly revealing and sobering. Indeed, we empathise with the families that have been affected and displaced by the spillage. We met victims, townsfolks, children, the chiefs, and of course Honourable Okudzeto.

“Mr. Speaker, Government has budgeted an amount of GH¢220 million to support the relief phase for the communities affected by the Akosombo spillage as well as floods upstream in the Oti, Savannah, and Bono-East Regions,” the Finance Minister said.

According to Ken Ofori-Atta, Government through the Ministry of Agriculture will allocate additional resources to support the restoration of livelihoods for the restoration phase.

He indicated that government has also requested funding from the World Bank under the IDA Crisis Response Window (CRW) to support the resettlement of the victims, restoration of livelihoods, compensation, and reconstruction of infrastructure in the affected communities.