Accra clears Kofikrom shacks to make way for permanent block housing
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly has removed rebuilt wooden structures at the Kofikrom settlement in Avenor, saying contractors are already on site for a redevelopment that will deliver permanent homes and services.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has removed unauthorised makeshift structures being rebuilt at Kofikrom, a squatter settlement in Avenor within the North Industrial Area, to pave the way for a planned redevelopment project involving permanent block housing.
The exercise was led by the Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, alongside security personnel and the AMA Task Force, following a fire outbreak that destroyed property and claimed lives in the community. The structures being removed consisted mainly of wooden posts, beams and supporting braces arranged in rows, with some partially enclosed by wooden planks.
Mayor Allotey expressed disappointment that some residents had resumed constructing temporary wooden shelters despite earlier directives and assurances that permanent accommodation would be provided under the redevelopment plan. He warned residents against erecting additional unauthorised structures, stressing that the assembly would not permit the reconstruction of wooden shelters in an area previously devastated by fire.
He said plans were under way to construct permanent block buildings for affected residents to improve their living conditions and reduce the risk of another disaster, and that contractors had already been deployed to the site to take measurements and undertake preliminary work.
The proposed redevelopment is expected to include electricity, borehole water supply and streetlights, which the mayor said would be provided to residents free of charge. A tarred one-way access road will also be built within the settlement to improve movement and ensure emergency services can reach the community without obstruction.
Allotey said the interventions were intended to transform Kofikrom into a more organised and safer residential area while addressing infrastructure deficiencies that had left residents vulnerable to fire outbreaks and other hazards.