The Appiatse journey: A journey of resilience and hope

The Appiatse journey has been an extraordinary and remarkable one with considerable twists and turns.

On that tragic day, while we were all going about our normal businesses, the people of Appiatse were struck by an unfortunate incident which shook our nation. Explosives being transported to a mine site detonated, claiming the lives of sixteen (16) of our citizens, injuring dozens and razing down the entire community.

A very sad day it was. Our deepest condolences go to those who lost their loved ones through this tragic incident. May the gentle souls of all those who lost their lives continue to rest and abide in bosom of the Almighty, until the last day of the resurrection, when we shall meet again.  

We sympathise with the victims of the incident, those who were injured and had to endure pain and suffering, those who were displaced and had to be housed in temporary accommodation, those who lost their sources of income, and everyone who, in one way or the other, had been impacted by this catastrophic incident.

Undoubtedly, the tragedy has left a scar which might be difficult to erase. But it is in such situations that leaders and society must rise to the occasion, which has been manifested in the reconstruction of the Appiatse community.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is grateful to the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Danwkwa Akufo-Addo, for his extraordinary leadership throughout this journey. 

Gratitude

The ministry also thanks the Vice President, H.E. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, for accepting to commission the modern and green reconstructed Appiatse township. Since that terrible incident of January 20, 2022, the Vice President has been very instrumental in bringing relief to the people of Appiatse, including leading a government delegation to the community in the immediate aftermath of the incident, and making a personal donation towards the initial relief efforts.

It is, therefore, heartwarming to have the Vice President, who has been with the people of Appiatse from the very beginning inaugurate the reconstructed Appiatse community to restore hope to the victims of the incident.  

This tragic incident called for, at least, three (3) immediate actions. The first was the provision of emergency relief. That is why on the instructions of the President of the Republic the Vice President led a delegation to commiserate with the victims of the incident, and made a personal contribution towards bringing relief to the people of Appiatse in the catastrophic time.

Again, on the instructions of the President of the Republic, all the security agencies and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) mobilised for the town to be provide the much-needed emergency relief.

With the support of the Catholic Church, victims who were rendered homeless were housed at the St. Michael’s Parish Hall at Bogoso. Subsequently, in partnership with Future Global Resources (FGR), temporary accommodation in the form of tents were erected at the community for displaced families.

FGR, again, gave us forty (40) uncompleted buildings at Dumase, which the Appiatse Support Fund later roofed and refurbished to house the affected victims as the rains begun to fall. Through these efforts, Government was able to provide decent temporary accommodation for all victims of the incident.

The second immediate action that needed to be taken was investigations to determine what went wrong, punish wrongdoers, and take the necessary measures to avoid future occurrences.

Thus, in addition to the investigations that were undertaken by the state security agencies, the Minerals Commission launched an investigation into the matter, to establish the causes of the incident from a regulatory perspective.

To safeguard the safety of the industry, the company at the centre of the incident was suspended from providing any form of mine support services. Upon receipt of the preliminary report of the Minerals Commission, the ministry constituted a three-member committee to undertake further investigations into the matter.

In addition to the investigations into this particular incident, the ministry also constituted a Health and Safety Committee chaired by the distinguished Vice Chancellor of George Grant University of Mines and Technology (UMat), Prof. Richard Amankwaa, to review the entire health and safety regime of the mining industry in our country.

The work of this committee has led to far-reaching reforms in health and safety standards in the mining industry, including the manufacturing, handling, importing, transporting and use of explosives which give us the impetus to prevent future occurrences of such incidents.

The final but also, very important action was the need to rebuild what had been lost, to, as much as possible, restore the victims to their previous positions, or even better.

Thus, on 26th January, 2022, on the instructions of the President of the Republic, I led a Government delegation, which included officials from the Ministry of Works and Housing, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), Department of Rural Housing, State Housing Company, and the Ghana Chamber of Mines, to carry out preliminary assessment of the destruction and determine the right strategy to rebuild the community.

Prior to this visit on January 25, 2022, Government launched the Appiatse Support Fund to raise money to, among others, support the victims of the incident and reconstruct the community.

 A five-member Committee, chaired by an eminent stateswoman and former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, whose watchword for the Fund is accountability, was inaugurated to manage the Fund.

Two days after the launch of the Fund, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, our compassionate President, donated One Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHS100,000.00) to the Fund becoming the first person to donate to the Fund.

His generous action was followed by several other well-meaning Ghanaians, including our hardworking Vice President, the First Lady, Ministers and Deputy Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, corporate Ghana, individuals, among others.

We also received several donations in kind, including building materials from various institutions, both public and private. The full list of all seventy-nine (79) contributors to the Fund has been published in the Monday 29th April, 2024 edition of the Daily Graphic.

We thank you, sincerely, and the people of Appiatse are forever grateful for your generosity. To effectively execute the commitment to rebuild the community, an Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Committee (ARIC), under the able chairmanship of the then Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, and Member of Parliament for Atwima Nwabiagya North Constituency, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, with the strong assistance of the renowned architect, Mr. Charles Blankson-Hemans, and many others, was constituted to see to the design and construction of this beautiful reconstructed community into a modern, green and sustainable township, as a model for rural development, with the hope of replicating same plans and designs in other parts of the country.

They immediately went to work, and have done so to date. 

I am happy and proud to report that with the dedication of the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Committee, and the support of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as all Ghanaians, the first phase of the reconstruction of the community has been completed.

This phase is made up of one hundred and twenty-four (124) housing units consisting of one to seven bedroom houses, a school block with sanitary facilities, construction of inner roads within the community, provision of market, electricity, water, extensive street lighting, and a green landscape. 

Meticulously crafted

This reconstructed Appiatse Community, meticulously crafted, embody Government’s commitment to healing and bringing solace to families who have endured displacement and pain.

This is truly a gesture of a caring government. Phase two of the Project, which is the repair and rehabilitation of buildings partially impacted by the incident, has also been completed, with payment to some fifty (50) affected individuals to carry out the repair and rehabilitation of their buildings after the affected buildings had been assessed and valued by professionals.

And sod has been cut for the commencement of work on Phase three which consists of the construction of sixty-seven (67) additional buildings together with other facilities at the periphery of the new community.

All these have been made possible through the benevolence of Ghanaians, and several other players, who responded to our call to donate to the Appiatse Support Fund. Not a pesewa of public funds has been expended on this project.

The entire cost of the project was financed by the Appiatse Support Fund, and together, we have demonstrated that community resilience and compassion can build a brighter future, for, as they say, “where there is a will, there is a way.”

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is grateful to all those who supported us to achieve this remarkable feat, including the ministries of Roads and Highways, Works and Housing, Energy, Water and Sanitation, and Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, the project consultants, Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), members of the Appiatse Support Fund, the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Committee, contractors, and engineers, we salute you all.  

Let me specifically mention the chiefs and people of Appiatse, led by the Divisional Chief of Beppoh, Nana Atta Kwadwo Bremebi II, whose collective efforts have brought us this far.

If there was any doubt that the Government is committed to the promises we make to our people, this reconstructed Appiatse Community should jettison that doubt. And if there was any doubt also that governments are capable of delivering, this is sufficient reason to believe otherwise.

Today, we have given hope to people once scarred by an unimaginable explosion, as a testament of the unflinching commitment of President Akufo-Addo to leverage on the resources of our country to bring relief to our people, and unleash prosperity for the mass of our people. May the Appiatse journey continue to inspire us to work together for our country and our people.  

Thank you, and may God bless us all.