Compensation for Weija demolition exercise victims

The government has agreed on a compensation package for people whose property will be affected by a demolition exercise to be undertaken along the Weija Dam for a major bridge project.

The demolition is to pave the way for the completion of a 50-metre bridge that will link Old and New Weija. Although the date for the exercise has not been disclosed yet, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council has agreed to provide temporary dwelling places for all those who will be affected until they finally receive their compensation.

The construction of the bridge, which started in 2021, is expected to serve both vehicles and pedestrians, including schoolchildren, who currently use boats and canoes as a means of crossing from Weija to Ayigbe Town and vice versa.

The exercise is expected to affect many structures, including residential accommodation and business points. “There’s a major stumbling block, which is the demolishing of certain structures to pave way for the completion of the project,” the Minister of Roads and Highway, Francis Asenso-Boakye, said during an inspection tour last Wednesday.

“Together with the Greater Accra Regional Minister, we’ve been able to take a decision, and very soon, some compensation will be paid so that we can go ahead and demolish those buildings for the work to be completed,” he added.

Road inspection

The minister, together with the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, and engineers visited ongoing road projects in Ga Central, Weija-Gbawe, Okaikwe South and Okaikwe: North municipalities.

The visit was part of his nationwide tour to inspect and have a first-hand understanding of the country’s road infrastructure. At Ga South, the team visited the ongoing rehabilitation works on the Aplaku to Red Top road and a 4.4 kilometre road from Block Factory to Otintoh.

At Weija-Gbawe, where there’s an ongoing rehabilitation of selected roads, the team visited the Borla Road at Mallam and the ongoing rehabilitation work on the Gbawe Zero Road.

The team also visited some drainage projects and an ongoing asphaltic repair on some roads in Okaikwe North and Okaikwe South. Mr Asenso-Boakye said the ministry was committed to fixing all the deplorable roads within all the densely populated areas within the region.

He said his ministry would collaborate with the Ministry of Works and Housing to tackle all the major road infrastructure problems within the region. He said officials from the Ghana Hydrological Authority would be invited to provide expert advice on how to improve the drainage situation in most of the flood-prone areas.

Also, the minister said he would work with the Forestry Commission to plant some greenery along roads which were located in hilly areas. That, he believed, would help curb the perennial flooding in those areas.

Densu River bridge

The Greater Accra Regional Minister also instructed the Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly to earmark all those houses located within the construction area of the bridge on the Densu River for demolition.

He said the Regional Coordinating Council would provide temporary dwelling places for all those affected until the government finally compensated them.

“We want to complete this as early as possible because we know the danger on the Weija road when there’s a heavy downpour, and this bridge will go a long way to address that challenge,” Mr Titus-Glover said.