By Philip Tengzu, GNA
Wa, (UW/R) Aug. 31, GNA – Victims of the demolishing exercise at Poyentanga in the Wa West District to pave the way for the 24-Hour Economy Market have appealed to the authorities for support to rebuild their newly allocated settlement.
The demolishing exercise carried out on May 19, 2026, affected 14 households with several people, including children, women and the aged, leaving them without shelter.
A group of the affected households, calling itself the Poyentanga Displaced Residents Association, said the destruction of their homes and livelihoods has left them with serious accommodation and livelihood challenges.
Following the demolition, the authorities, including the traditional leaders, the Wa West Member of Parliament and District Assembly, and the contractor, assured the victims of relocating and supporting them to secure convenient places of abode.
Addressing a press conference at Poyentanga at the weekend, Mr George Naangmensoti Kancheon, the Secretary of the Association, said traditional leaders have since allocated land to the affected households to enable them to resettle.
He, however, said the MP for the area and the Wa West District Assembly are yet to fulfil their promise of supporting them to build their houses.
The Association said the MP assured them during a meeting on 31st May that support would be provided within four months and that each affected household would receive assistance to construct at least a two-room structure.
“Today marks exactly three months since that assurance. To date, only plots have been shown.
There has been no relief package, no follow-up visits, and no assessment has commenced,” Mr Kancheon said.
Ms Dora Saabarima, an affected resident, said the demolition has severely affected her family because she lost both her home and business.
She indicated that she and her children are currently staying in a dilapidated room without proper doors and windows, leaving them exposed to rain and mosquitoes.
Ms Saabarima said the loss of her business has also made it difficult for her to pay her children’s school fees and provide food for the family.
For Madam Joyce Mankani and her three children, anytime it is raining, they cannot sleep due to the leaking roof of the structure that shelters them.
The Association also expressed concern about conditions attached to the newly allocated plots, including a two-year deadline for their development and restrictions against constructing mud or brick houses.
It said the conditions would be difficult for the affected households to meet without financial assistance, particularly given the losses they had suffered and the vulnerable conditions of the victims.
The Association also appealed for formal documentation of the allocated plots, verification of the affected households, an assessment of the structures and livelihoods, and a clear time-bound compensation process.
It has given the authorities 14 days to provide a formal response and a clear compensation and recovery roadmap to prevent escalating their concerns to the national level.
Meanwhile, Mr Peter Lanchene Toobu, the MP, reassured the people of his commitment to providing the victims with the needed support to build their places of abode.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, he said he has let a physical planner design and map out the new settlement, and that he is also mobilising to support them with cement.
“It is just that, you know, in this heavy raining season, it is difficult to fetch sand, but it’s not just fetching sand for one person. We are trying to handle it like a community project,” he explained.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensh
Reporter: Philip Tengzu, GNA
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