By Christopher Tetteh, GNA
Sunyani (Bono), March 31, GNA – The Local Government Service Association of Physical Planners (LoGSAPP) has called on the government, to adequately resource the Planning and Building Inspectorate Units at the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The Association’s call followed the recent collapse of the four-storey building which was under construction in Accra, and expressed their condolences to the bereaved families of the three who lost their lives.
In a statement issued and signed by Mrs Gifty Nyarko, the National President of the LoGSAPP and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), noted that some of the assemblies did not even have those units, saying strengthening these units, would empower them to deliver on their mandate.
“The sad incident is a direct result of systemic failures in enforcement, institutional capacity, and governance,” the statement indicated.
He said said it was therefore crucial that the planning and building inspectorate units were strengthened to enforce the Act 925 of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016.
It said the enforcement of the law was a statutory obligation, saying that with adequate resource allocation, those units could monitor unauthorised developments.
The statement expressed concern about inadequate staff to carry out inspections, saying that the few personnel often overstretched, and appealed for vehicles for the units.
It said weak enforcement on environmental laws remained a daunting challenge in the country, saying that had contributed to development without permits as well as construction without proper inspection.
The statement noted that: “Every building collapse we witness is link to law enforcement failure. It’s unfortunate that physical planners and engineers are often blamed whenever buildings collapse”.
“In the absence of authority and working resources, failure becomes systemic, not individual.
“It’s inappropriate to isolate professionals for blame in a system where enforcement structures are weak, under-resourced, or non-functional,” it said.
The statement called on the nation to prioritise spatial planning to be able to achieve the target for the goal 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It also advocated the recruitment of adequate and qualified personnel as well as provision of vehicles and logistics for monitoring, and investment in modern equipment for structural integrity testing.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/ Christabel Addo