The victims of the Akosombo and Kpong dam spill have received assurances from President John Dramani Mahama that the government will soon start paying compensation as procedures to identify impacted individuals and evaluate damages are almost finished.
The President stated that the government is still dedicated to providing thousands of families whose homes, farms, businesses, and means of subsistence were impacted by the catastrophic floods that struck the Volta and Eastern regions almost three years ago with a just, transparent, and responsible compensation procedure.
Mahama said that the Finance Minister has already included a financial provision to start compensation payments in this year’s budget while speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony for a 24-hour economy model market in Juapong, Volta Region.
In the event that the amount proves insufficient to compensate all victims, he said, extra allocations would be made in the budget for the next year.
“The resilience of the people of this region has been tested in recent years. The spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams caused significant hardship for many families, affecting homes, farms, businesses and livelihoods across several communities,” Mahama said.
He pointed out that since the crisis struck, the government has continued to be actively involved in mitigating its effects.
He continued, “The government has remained fully engaged in addressing the aftermath of that unfortunate event.”
Mahama also revealed that the latter phases of the assessment and verification process are presently in progress.
“The necessary verification, assessment and administrative processes relating to compensation are being concluded. And I wish to assure all affected people that the government remains committed to ensuring that the process is finalised, fairly, transparently and responsibly,” he said.
The President promised victims that after the exercise was over, reimbursements would start.
“Once this process is finalised, the Minister of Finance will make an allocation in this year’s budget to start the payment of compensation,” he stated.
In 2023, the Volta River Authority opened the spill gates of the Akosombo and Kpong dams to preserve their structural integrity in response to rising flood levels. This resulted in the displacement of thousands of people and the submergence of settlements throughout the Volta, Eastern, and Greater Accra regions.
Source: newsthemegh.com