The Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) is awaiting for approval from the World Bank (WB) to begin the construction of drainage system from the Odawna to Paloma conclave, to pave way for the construction of the Odawna Market, the Project Coordinator, Kwadwo Ohene Sarfo, has said.
The project with funding from the World Bank is to improve flood risk management and solid waste management in the Odaw River Basin of the Greater Accra Region, and improve access to basic infrastructure and services in the targeted communities along the Odaw River Basin.
Mr Sarfo said the approval would help them to initiate the resettlement action plan to address the challenges of those affected by the project.
“The project has been cleared by the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission and the procedure is that it has to go to the WB for approval, and that we have submitted to the WB and hoping it will not take a couple of weeks for the approval, and once it comes we’ll initiate the resettlement process and right after, the contractor will start work,” he added.
Mr Sarfo disclosed this in an interview with the Ghanaian Times during a stakeholder’s engagement organised by Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA) on the status of the redevelopment of the Odawna Market project in Accra yesterday.
The meeting was to engage with the various stakeholder groups of the market to discuss the current level of development of the project which aimed to upgrade the existing market into a modern and environmental friendly market facility.
Mr Sarfo said the resettlement would be done in “linear function” which would be started at downstream saying “once it starts, the contractor follows the payment of the conversation and resettlement of affected persons.”
He said work was expected to be completed within 15 months, but added that there might be delays due to some incidentals they may encounter during the construction process.
“For example, if any of the utilities have any facility within the construction area, those have to be removed before contractor can start working there, because we don’t want a situation where in our eagerness to get the drains done; we then rather go and adversely affect some important utilities like water, electricity, telecom lines, fire hydrants and other essential services,” he stated.
The Head of Works at KoKMA, Mr Isaac Lamptey, said the assembly had submitted its feasibility report for the construction of the market to the Finance Ministry for approval, however, the ministry had asked for a review of the report for further consideration.
“The ministry raised two questions; is there a ready demand for the market and are the traders willing to pay after the construction? And so we’ll engage the various stakeholder groups again and explain the issue and allow them to fill a questionnaire which the ministry is demanding to be submitted to them for next line of action,” he said.
Mr Lamptey expressed optimism that the GARID project would commence as soon as approval was granted bythe ministry for construction of the market.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of KoKMA, Mr Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah, called for cooperation from the stakeholders to enable them to expedite process for the construction of the project.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR
