The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has reaffirmed the commitment of government to reconstruct the model Appiatse community within one year as promised.
He said the masterplan for the reconstruction of the Appiatse rural model community was ready and in a matter of weeks the Vice President, DrMahamudu Bawumia, would cut sod to commence construction of the core community which would consists of 124 housing units.
He said,”by the Grace of God within one year we will deliver these houses,” while indicating that all components of the model Appiatse housing units comprising of 1-7 bedrooms were fit for purpose.
The visit by the Minister was to among others assess the conditions and well-being of the residents after their relocation from the tents into the temporary structures in May.
He also used the occasion to debunk some assertion from the public that funds meant for the rebuilding of the community was being used for the construction of the National Cathedral.
He maintained that,”The Appiatse project is non-partisan, without colourisation”, and called on the inhabitants in Appiatse and environs to dismiss such propaganda and untrue statements.
He also employed the opportunity to call on Ghanaians to support the Appiatse Reconstruction project by donating to the support fund, stressing that the funds would be disbursed transparently and usefully.
The Minister as part of his visit also symbolically decommissioned the tents which previously housed the residents to end the era of living in tents.
Mr Jinapor highly commended the Chairman, Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, members of the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Team and the Municipal Chief Executives for a great work done.
“I am very impressed with the work of the ARIT team headed by my Deputy Minister in change of Lands and Forestry. They have done very well and have shown that they are a true example of the Ghanaian tradition of public service.”
Addressing the residents, Mr Jinapor called on them to come together and support the government to deliver the houses, adding that their collective effort was needed during this critical time for the houses to be delivered to them.
The Lands Minister also donated assorted food items including bags of rice, sugar and gallons of oil to the residents estimated at GHC 10,000.
Mr Owusu-Bio said plans were far advance to ensure that electricity, water and other basic amenities were made available to the community.
He added that designs, survey works, and plotting of the sites were all being completed to enable the actual reconstruction works to begin next month.
On behalf of Nana Kojo Bremibi, Chief of Appiatse, Kyiame Kwame Ofori expressed gratitude to the Minister and the reconstruction team, saying that the efforts demonstrated true leadership in the rebuilding efforts.
From Times Reporter
