President John Dramani Mahama has assured victims of the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillage that government will soon begin compensation payments as processes to verify affected persons and assess damages near completion.
The President said the government remains committed to ensuring a fair, transparent and responsible compensation process for thousands of families whose homes, farms, businesses and livelihoods were affected by the devastating floods in the Volta and Eastern regions nearly three years ago.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony for a 24-hour economy model market at Juapong in the Volta Region, Mahama disclosed that the Finance Minister has already made budgetary provision in this year’s budget to commence compensation payments.
According to him, additional allocations would be made in next year’s budget should the amount prove inadequate to cover all victims.
“The resilience of the people of this region has been tested in recent years. The spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams caused significant hardship for many families, affecting homes, farms, businesses and livelihoods across several communities,” Mahama said.
He noted that government has remained actively engaged in addressing the impact of the disaster since it occurred.
“The government has remained fully engaged in addressing the aftermath of that unfortunate event,” he added.
Mahama further disclosed that the final stages of the verification and assessment exercise are currently underway.
“The necessary verification, assessment and administrative processes relating to compensation are being concluded. And I wish to assure all affected people that the government remains committed to ensuring that the process is finalised, fairly, transparently and responsibly,” he stated.
The President assured victims that payments would begin once the exercise is completed.
“Once this process is finalised, the Minister of Finance will make an allocation in this year’s budget to start the payment of compensation,” he said.
The Akosombo and Kpong dam spillage in 2023 displaced thousands of residents and submerged communities across parts of the Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra regions after the Volta River Authority opened the spill gates of the dams to protect their structural integrity following rising water levels.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
