Akosombo dam spillage: ‘GHS80million approved for victims cannot be found’ — Ablakwa

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said an amount of GHS80 million approved by the government to support victims of the Akosombo dam spillage has yet to reach beneficiaries.

Speaking on Accra-based Adom FM’s Burning Issues radio program, the Chairperson of Parliament’s Assurance Committee asserted that both current and past Energy Ministers claim to have no knowledge of the funds’ whereabouts.

He lamented that the victims are still staying in tents with no immediate assurance from the government to provide them with housing.

“In fact, the whereabouts of the GHC 80 million the president claimed was approved for the relief of the affected people remains a mystery. I’ve asked the current minister, but he had no details. Even the former energy minister, now the NPP’s running mate, couldn’t provide information on the funds,” Mr Ablakwa noted.

“If you ask any MP, none can tell you where the money is, and the people who were supposed to benefit from it haven’t received anything,” he added.

“One year on, 1,360 people are still living under tents. It’s disgraceful that after such a major disaster, the government has not been able to provide proper housing for the victims. What is stopping the government?” he lamented.

The Akosombo Dam spillage occurred in September 2023 in the south-eastern part of Ghana due to a controlled spillage of the Akosombo Dam and the Kpong Dam by the Volta River Authority to address rising water levels.

The spillage led to the displacement of about 8,000 people in 8 communities along the Volta River downstream, with Mepe being the most affected.

Communities impacted by the flood were in the districts of North, Central, and South Tongu in the Volta Region, as well as the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region.

Large portions of Tefle, Wume, Sokpoe, and other riverbank communities were also affected by the floods, and at least 500 people were left without a place to live while other localities, such as Alikekope, Agorme, and Agbave, completely disappeared.