Just days after a three-storey building collapsed in the North Kaneshie suburb of Avenor, killing two people and injuring three others, Ghana’s Interior Minister has announced that 16 other buildings across the Greater Accra Region will be demolished.
Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, who inspected the disaster scene on Sunday, said the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had identified the structures as severely compromised and unfit for human habitation.
“Currently, NADMO has identified about 16 buildings within the Greater Accra Region that have to come down,” Muntaka told reporters.
“We are currently doing the evacuations, and they must bring all those buildings down.”
The Avenor collapse, which occurred on June 7, has reignited long-standing public concerns about ageing, poorly maintained, and potentially illegal structures in the capital.
Activists and urban safety experts have repeatedly called for stronger enforcement of building codes and regular safety audits.
The Interior Minister acknowledged that not all disasters can be prevented, but insisted that known risks must be addressed urgently.
“Some things are natural, and God will take care of the supernatural, but for the natural ones, we have to take care of them,” he said.
Muntaka did not disclose the exact locations of the 16 targeted buildings, nor provide a specific timeline for the demolitions beyond saying they would begin “coming into the week.”
He confirmed that evacuation notices have been served to occupants.
