The Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has announced that 16 buildings across the Greater Accra Region have been identified as structurally unsafe and will be demolished in the coming days as part of efforts to prevent further loss of life from building collapses.
The announcement follows the collapse of a three-storey building at Avenor in North Kaneshie on Sunday, June 7, which claimed two lives and left three others injured.
“Currently, NADMO has identified about 16 buildings within the Greater Accra Region that have to come down. We are going to ensure that, coming into the week, they will go and get all those buildings down.” - Minister for the Interior
Speaking to journalists during a visit to the disaster scene, the Interior Minister said the government, through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), has already identified several structures considered dangerous and unfit for habitation.
He explained that authorities are taking urgent steps to evacuate occupants and demolish the affected buildings before they pose a greater threat to lives and property.
“We are currently doing the evacuations, and they must bring all those buildings down. I mean, some things are natural, and God will take care of the supernatural, but for the natural ones, we have to take care of them.” - Minister for the Interior
Part of a broader safety strategy
The minister said the exercise forms part of a wider government strategy aimed at reducing preventable disasters and ensuring that unsafe structures do not become death traps for residents.
According to him, the focus is on addressing known structural risks before they result in further tragedies.
The Avenor collapse has renewed public concern about the dangers posed by ageing, poorly maintained and improperly constructed buildings in parts of the capital.
Experts have repeatedly warned that weak enforcement of building regulations, unauthorized modifications and inadequate maintenance have contributed to recurring structural failures.
Authorities are expected to intensify inspections and enforcement actions as the demolition exercise gets underway.
READ ALSO: Mahama Explores Belarus Agro-Processing Model to Boost Ghana’s Agricultural Transformation
