Accra halts Kofikrom permanent housing as occupants claim ownership of land
Written on
Accra Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey says the Kofikrom-Avenor housing project has been put on hold because some occupants have begun asserting ownership of the land, complicating a NADMO registration exercise.
Accra Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey has confirmed that the proposed housing project for occupants of the Kofikrom-Avenor settlement has been put on hold following a dispute over claims of ownership and possession of the land. Speaking on Adom FM's Dwaso Nsem programme, the mayor said some of the people occupying the area had begun asserting ownership and possession, creating disagreements over who should benefit from the proposed development.
He said the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had earlier been tasked with registering the names of people living at the site, but that the process had since become contentious. "The project has indeed been put on hold because some of the people have already claimed ownership and possession of the place. We asked NADMO to take the names of those who were living there, but now there is a struggle," Allotey said.
The mayor stressed that the suspension should not be interpreted as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly reconsidering its decision to redevelop the area. He said he remained convinced the project could transform Kofikrom-Avenor, which he described as an area that had over the years become associated with robbery, prostitution and other illicit activities, and cited a similar housing development he had seen in South Africa.
His comments follow an earlier disclosure by the Kofikrom-Avenor assemblyman, Papa Nii, that construction of the proposed permanent block housing had been suspended pending further consultations and engagements. The project was proposed after a fire outbreak at the settlement, with plans to replace the existing structures with more organised housing.