‘It’s heartwarming’ – Ablakwa reacts to government’s GH¢220m allocation for flood victims

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa has welcomed the government’s allocation of GH¢220 million in the 2024 budget to cater for the relief of victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage by the Volta River Authority.

“Mr. Speaker, Government has budgeted an amount of GH¢220 million to support the relief phase for the communities affected by the Akosombo spillage as well as floods upstream in the Oti, Savannah, and Bono-East Regions,” Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta told Parliament on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

Reacting to the budget, the lawmaker said it was heartwarming that provision has been made for the displaced people whose livelihoods, homes, lives and belongings have been destroyed by flooding occasioned by the spillage.

“That is a significant development, and I think that in this entire budget, that is the only positive that I would like to highlight. However, I will be cautiously optimistic because there is a world of difference between allocation and actual release. So, the GH¢220 million for the first phase of relief is positive and worth highlighting, and we are looking forward to the second phase, which the Finance Minister referred to as the restoration phase,” Ablakwa said.

He subsequently took to his social media pages to say that the pledges made by the government must be pursued to ensure the victims are adequately catered for and compensated.

“I also take judicial notice of pledges by the Finance Minister in Parliament for the restoration phase which includes additional resources for the Ministry of Agriculture to support livelihoods, and a formal request to the World Bank under the IDA Crisis Response Window.

May all these assurances translate into actual releases for adequate resettlement and compensation of my beloved constituents plus all those affected in other constituencies,” he wrote.

To preserve the structural integrity of the Akosombo Dam, the Volta River Authority opened the spillway, displacing around 30,000 people.

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