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Gov’t needs foreign aid to tackle tidal waves – Atta Akyea

The Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea explained that the construction of sea defence walls are expensive therefore the government needs support from donor agencies to complete them.

Report landlords who collect more than a year advance - Atta Akyea

He made this comment when he visited Belekusu in the Volta Region where many residents have been rendered homeless after a tidal wave hit the town.

Atta Akyea said the existing sea defence project aimed at checking the problem is capital intensive, hence government cannot undertake it alone.

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“It is very expensive to manage the coast of any nation. For you to protect about 2 kilometres of the coast to prevent the ferocious powers of the sea from hitting the lands and destroying property is not cheap. Our national kitty is not in good shape to do that kind of job, so what we are doing now is to encourage foreign investors.”

In 2015, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration started construction of a sea defence wall in the area to stop the extensive erosion along the beach.

The project was handed to Amandi Holdings Limited to execute. The $40 million project was to be completed in 19 months.

However, works on the sea defence came to a halt, leaving the residents to bear the full brunt of the wave on Sunday.

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Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Fiifi Kwetey, who was part of the team that toured the affected areas in the Volta Region, lamented that securing approval for a budget to complete the project had been a challenge.

He called on the Finance Ministry to find an alternative source of funding for the defence work to be completed.

He added that the local authority will in the meantime relocate all settlements at risk of tidal waves.

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