Get Your Modern Building, Other Properties Protected Through Insurance

 An Arrested Property Owner

For quite some time now, many modern buildings are springing up in prime areas of the capital city of Accra such as Spintex Road, Airport Residential Area, Asylum Down and the market centers.

Apart from Accra, similar projects are also being constructed in other regional capitals like Kumasi, Takoradi, Ho, Tamale etc. Owing to the sophisticated nature and market value of the buildings dotted around our city centers and markets, there is the need for them to be safeguarded through insurance cover against fire floods and other calamities. Indeed, there is a legal requirement for owners of all new buildings to resort to insurance cover for their buildings as done for vehicles of all kinds. A careful look at the situation shows that most buildings in Accra and other parts of country especially in our market places have not been insured leading to many property owners losing out through deadly fire outbreaks in markets in Accra and other parts of the country. I don’t think we should subject our properties in our cities, towns and markets to risks of losing out when fires and floods or any calamities befall them.

In order to deal with the difficult situation, the national insurance commission has begun moves to enforce the laws regarding insurance cover for all buildings. To this end six staff of some private commercial entities in Accra were arrested by the National Taskforce instituted by the National Insurance Commission (NIC) to ensure the compulsory insurance of private commercial buildings- both completed and under construction.

The 16-member taskforce made the arrests at Osu, Asylum Down and Spintex Road in Accra after several unsuccessful attempts to get the recalcitrant owners to acquire compulsory fire and building insurance for their buildings.

The suspects include Dennis Tettey, Ganesh Shrestha of Yan Tai International, which is putting up a five-storey building at Osu; Gao Quankang, Manager of Casino Gold at Osu; Mary Bempah, a staff of Eco Furniture Works at Asylum Down; Samuel Alfred, Fritz Jordan, workers of General Auto Zone, Spintex Road, and Jarklin Xiong, a staff of Ghana Heavy Duty Truck and Spare Parts.

Drama
During the operation, which began around 10 am at Eco Furniture Works, some workers nominated their colleagues to be arrested by the police instead of themselves.

A five-member taskforce from the National Insurance Commission (NIC) also arrested some owners of commercial property in Tema, who allegedly failed to insure their landed property.

The suspects were whisked away in a police van from their respective locations to the Cantonments District Police Command where they were detained.

The exercise was aimed at ensuring compliance with Sections 183 and 184 of the National Insurance Law (Act 724, 2006), which makes provision for the compulsory insurance of private commercial buildings – both under construction and completed.

Since October 2014, the Taskforce, chaired by Joseph Bentor, has been embarking on the inspection of commercial properties in the Upper West, Upper East, Northern and Greater Accra Regions. It has so far arrested about 165 persons.

The special taskforce comprised personnel of the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), NIC and Ghana Insurance Association (GIA).

Mr. Bentor told journalists during the exercise that the taskforce shall relentlessly ensure compliance with the law.

Since the exercise began in January 2017 about 70 commercial buildings were found to have no insurance cover. It is dangerous for our buildings to remain uninsured. if nothing at all the owners stand the risk of not receiving compensation when they get destroyed through fire or any other calamities as has been the case in the past.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
eanfoworld for sustainable development
[email protected]/[email protected]
0244370345/0208844792/0274853710