The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa, has described plans by the government to allocate some GH¢220 million to help mitigate the plight of victims in the Akosombo Dam spillage as encouraging.
Over 30,000 people have been displaced after the Volta River Authority opened the spillway of the dam to reduce water volumes, aiming to protect its structural integrity.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced a GH¢220 million cedis relief package for all affected people on Wednesday.
“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,” Ofori-Atta told Parliament.
Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa, whose constituency was hit the most, says the news is welcoming.
“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.”
