A committee is expected to be constituted by early next week to determine appropriate compensation for businesses and property owners affected by the recent demolition exercise at La Pleasure Beach in Accra.
The committee will include representatives from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), traditional authorities, management of the affected beach facilities and the Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, Naa Odoley Sowah.
The MP, who is also Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, disclosed this when she appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Local Government and Decentralisation on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
She said authorities had already collected data on people affected by the demolition and would use the information to assess their circumstances before deciding on the appropriate form of compensation.
“We have gotten their data and the committee is going to look at what we are going to give to them as compensation. So those affected will be compensated and the decision for the type of compensation has not been finalised but as the MP I am following up deeply on that to ensure that everybody gets what they are supposed to get,” she said.
Mrs. Sowah explained that the committee would consider both financial compensation and the needs of persons who may have to be relocated.
She stressed, however, that no final decision had yet been taken on the amount or form of compensation.
“The matter will be discussed by the committee before a decision will be reached,” she said.
The development follows a demolition exercise at La Pleasure Beach, where military personnel recently moved in to clear structures as part of an exercise that authorities said was aimed at addressing encroachment and other concerns around the coastal area.
The operation sparked concerns among some affected businesses and residents, with the La Dadekotopon MP engaging authorities over the impact on people whose livelihoods and properties were affected.
Mrs. Sowah told the committee that the La Pleasure Beach matter should be distinguished from the demolition at Laboma Beach, which she said would be handled separately.
“Laboma Beach demolishing is a different issue but subsequently Laboma concerns will come up,” she said.
The Municipal Chief Executive of La Dadekotopon, Alfredos Nii Anyetei, told the committee that the Laboma exercise was undertaken as part of measures to address flooding and restore an ecological site.
He said LaDMA was not consulted before the exercise, although officials were later shown the locations where the demolition would take place.
He also said he was unaware that the MP had been specifically informed ahead of the operation.
The Chairperson of the committee, Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr, said municipal assemblies had the mandate and technical capacity to monitor developments and protect waterways within their jurisdictions.
She urged LaDMA to strengthen enforcement to prevent people from re-filling areas that had been dredged or cleared to improve drainage.
Mrs. Sawyerr noted that while central government agencies could intervene during emergencies, local assemblies must take responsibility for developments within their jurisdictions.
She also urged the MP and the assembly to ensure that the concerns of persons affected by the demolition were addressed, assuring them that the committee would follow up on the outcome of the compensation process.
