Mepe: The Assembly Member for the Mepe Electoral Area, Mr Ahorsu Amos Borlor, has appealed to government to urgently resume work on the abandoned resettlement housing project for victims of the 2023 Akosombo Dam spillage. He expressed concern that the partially completed buildings, meant to provide permanent shelter, have been left to deteriorate in overgrown vegetation, with some already developing cracks.
According to Ghana News Agency, the project was initiated under the previous government following the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillages by the Volta River Authority (VRA). It was intended to house thousands displaced in the Volta, Eastern, and Greater Accra Regions. Mepe was among the hardest-hit communities, with nearly 15,000 people affected. On March 26, 2024, then Minister for Works and Housing, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, cut sod for the construction, assuring completion within six months. More than a year later, however, many residents remain in temporary shelters while the site lies abandoned.
'This is not just about buildings; it is about the lives and dignity of people who have already suffered enough,' Mr Borlor told the Ghana News Agency, urging government to act before the structures become unusable. Madam Esther Korni, 56, a mother of four who has been living in a church hall since the disaster, said she had hoped to move into the new houses. 'Instead, my children and I are still sleeping on mats, depending on food donations, because my shop was washed away,' she said.
Mr Samuel Amegah, 62, a carpenter, described his life in a leaking wooden shack as 'unbearable,' especially during rains. Victims are calling for clear timelines and accountability, noting the incomplete buildings have become a symbol of neglect and unfulfilled promises. The GNA observed that about 200 flood victims remain in temporary structures in Mepe, struggling to restart their livelihoods and meet their children's education and healthcare needs.
