Melcom Disaster Report Still Kept In The Dark

The Melcom Group of Companies, a retail outlet operating in Ghana, is demanding the release of reports of some agencies that conducted investigation into the collapse of the building that housed the old Achimota shop in 2012.

The group said it rented the six-storey building which collapsed suddenly five years ago from one Nana Kwesi Boadu, Director of Kinsadu Company Limited, Accra.

Director of Communications of the Melcom Group of Companies, Godwin Avenorgbo, addressing the media at a press conference on Wednesday, November 23, in Accra, stated that the release of the reports would assist in addressing issues related the issuance of building permits by the relevant state agencies, as well as the engagement of qualified structural engineers.

“We call on all state agencies that have something to do with the matter of the collapse of the building that housed the old Melcom shop in Achimota owned by Nana Akwasi Boadu to dust their files, fast-track their processes and procedures to bring justice and finality to the case” he stated.

He said, “Melcom, at the time of renting the facility from the owner, could not have doubted the integrity of regulatory agencies in charge of issuing building permits, regulatory standards in upholding levels of technical expertise and construction materials but now we have reasons to ask many questions.”

“Melcom, as an investor, operates within the laws of Ghana and we expect that same laws protect our investment as security incentive for growing business for the larger economy,” he noted.

“It is therefore disappointing that in the face of these obvious failures, the owner of the structure that collapsed causing death, injury and loss of business, has not been brought to book under the laws of Ghana,” he stressed.

Mr. Avenorgbo said the owner of the building sued Melcom on grounds he declined to disclose, adding that the case was pending before an Accra High Court.

The Communications Director said if the regulators do not take the matters seriously, such levels of negligence would cause further avoidable deaths and destruction of properties.