The roofing of the temporary structures handed out to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources by the Future Global Resources Company Limited (FGR) has commenced in earnest.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, said that the priority of the government and the ministry is to ensure that the people of Apiate will not be at the mercy of the rain.
He assured that the reconstruction team will strictly stick to the May 1, 2022, deadline, to see to the transition of the victims from the camp tents to the temporary buildings.
"My team and I foresaw this happening and planned ahead that's why we have been in talks with FGR on these buildings and today as we've witnessed, roofing has commenced and we will be sure to stick to the May 1st time frame to Transition the people to the Temporary structures," he said.
The Deputy Minister said this when he paid a working visit to Apiate on April 13, 2022, to ascertain the impact of the recent heavy downpour at the site and also to inspect the Future Global Resources (FGR) buildings which are being refurbished, a statement has said.
Addressing the media, Benito disclosed that 31 buildings have been refurbished with wood frames and some with roofs, which he is convinced will be done in the next 2 weeks.
He added that having done a headcount at the camp, the 31 buildings will be able to house up to 110 family units, with each family at the camp acquiring a room of their own, an average of 4 individuals per family.
Owusu-Bio said that per the headcount, everyone at the camp will be housed in the 31 buildings but "we will add more rooms if the need arises to ensure that everyone has a safe place of abode"
Speaking to the displaced victims of the explosion, Benito Owusu-Bio, who is also the Chairman of the Apiate Reconstruction Implementation Committee, reaffirmed the government's commitment to move them to the temporary structures, adding that the President Akufo-Addo-led government has put in place all necessary measures to accommodate them by the said date.
On behalf of the president and the sector minister, he also empathised with the people of Apiate, particularly those whose tents were affected by the recent downpour.
Blankson Hermans, a member of the Reconstruction Implementation Committee and a representative from the Ghana Institute of Architects, also said that as part of preparations towards the main reconstruction, all demarcations on the site have been completed and soon, the road networks will commence ahead of the detailed designs.
As part of the working visit, the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority presented the local plan of the model community to the Municipal Assembly, which was adopted for implementation.
This was after an extensive presentation by Mr. Mohammed Alhassan Damba, the Director for Research Monitoring and Evaluation of the Land Usage and Spatial Planning Authority (LUPSA).
Benito Owusu-Bio is the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources