The decision was part of efforts to complete phase three of the Appiatse Redevelopment Project, which was intended to provide safe housing and essential services for families affected by the incident. 

This was announced in a press statement issued by the Municipal Information Services Officer for Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Assembly, Madam Matilda Ansah, on behalf of the assembly, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Tarkwa. 

It said the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources indicated that the land identified for the next phase of the project must be protected to ensure the redevelopment’s smooth, timely completion. 

The statement added that, “For this reason, no new private developments will be permitted within the designated redevelopment area until further notice. 

“The Municipal Assembly understands that this directive may affect some individuals and wishes to assure residents that the measure is temporary and aimed at serving the greater good of the community,” the statement added. 

The assembly has therefore appealed to landowners, developers, and residents to exercise patience and cooperate fully with the process.

The statement further assured residents that the government was committed to rebuilding Appiatse in a safe, orderly, and beneficial manner for all affected. 

It further called on community leaders, traditional authorities, and all stakeholders to support the initiative.

The statement encouraged residents who needed clarification to visit or contact the Information Services Department or the Physical Planning Department for guidance.

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Through collaborative efforts with local committees and key stakeholders, Appiatse has undergone significant development and is thriving.

Mr Jinapor emphasized the town’s remarkable progress in an interview on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on May 3.

He highlighted the tragic event of 2022, which brought widespread devastation and international attention to Appiatse. However, through proactive measures and decisive action, the town has emerged stronger than ever before.

“As you know, we lost about 16 lives and so the president sent the vice president to Appiatse. I went with him to assess the situation.”

Mr Jinapor stated that the situation in the town was very tense so when it happened, he needed to check the people’s health and also how to resettle the victims of the explosion that happened in the town.

“But initially what they did for the resettling of the victims was to liaise with the Catholic Church, they gave us a hall to house them temporarily.”

Mr Jinapor said he mobilized resources to provide relief to the victims and support their resettlement. Temporary housing arrangements were made in collaboration with local organizations, while efforts were made to secure more permanent solutions through partnerships with private entities like Future Global Resources.

“And then we rented tents with NADMO and of course, if you know the climate of that place, it rains heavily, even yesterday it rained, so once the rain was settling in we needed to get them some permanent temporary accommodation and then we have to liaise with (FGR) Future Global Resources which is a large scale mining company in that area.

“They had some uncompleted buildings which re refurbished and then housed the victims there.” He added. “Of course lot of questions arise, where did you get the money from, what technology you use, what model you use, how do you go about it.”

He mentioned his intention to establish an implementation committee and formed one with representatives from various groups including LUSPA, AESL, the Architect Association of Ghana, and Member of Parliament Benito Owusu Bio, who also happens to be a surveyor.

He emphasized that after implementing the committee the problem now was how to get money to start the whole plan and building of the community.

The Lands Minister underscored the importance of transparent and accountable financial management throughout the reconstruction process.

With the assistance of respected senior stateswoman Dr Joyce Aryee, stringent oversight measures were implemented, including the engagement of KPMG as financial consultants to develop a comprehensive expenditure model.

He added that the government or the ministry had nothing to do with the expenditure, stating that “we were not to be the spending office, and we were not to get involved whatsoever in any penny that would be spent on the reconstruction of this building.

“And here we are we have built 124 housing units ranging from 1 bedroom to 7 bedrooms first class, roads are first class, sanitary facilities, first class, and water harvesting system is been done in a manner that is sustainable because the place is a heavy rain enclave,” he added.

Mr Ahiagbah has therefore urged Ghanaians to vote for the flagbearer of the NPP, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 general elections to enable him to do more for the people of Ghana as president.

“Appiatse reconstruction, just look at it! Akufo-Addo cares. Vote for Bawumia to do even more for Ghana,” he wrote on his X platform.

Two years after the unfortunate tragedy that ravaged Appiatse, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned and handed over a 124-unit housing project that officially signifies the resettlement of residents of the community.

The newly built structures which were commissioned by the Vice President on Thursday, May 2, 2024, range from one-bedroom to seven-bedroom units, with enhanced facilities, including a market, six-unit classroom and kindergarten blocks, inner roads, water and electricity, a drainage system and a water storage system.

Addressing a gathering of residents as well as chiefs of Appiatse and its surrounding communities, Dr. Bawumia first paid tribute to the persons who lost their lives in the incident and sent words of comfort to their families.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia noted the completion of Phase II of the Appiatse Reconstruction  Project is indicative of the resilience, compassion and indomitable spirit of the people of Appaitse as well as the entire country.

He paid glowing tributes to President Akufo-Addo for his dedication and commitment to ensuring that the people of Appiatse are resettled into spacious, modern and environmentally-friendly housing structures that guaranteed their peace of mind and growth.

Detailing the personal contribution of the President and his unalloyed interest in the Appiatse Reconstruction Project, Dr Bawumia said “President Akufo-Addo was the first person to donate to the Appiatse Support Fund, a sign of his compassion and dedication towards the rebuilding of this community.

“In addition to his donation, President Akufo-Addo directed that Five Million Dollars (US$5,000,000.00) out of the Six Million Dollars (US$6,000,000.00) administrative fine imposed on the company at the centre of the explosion, be paid to the Appiatse Support Fund to support victims of the incident and the rebuilding of this community. Such a selfless and compassionate gesture,” he said.

Shedding further light on the contributions by key stakeholders including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources which was spearheaded by the sector Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor, Dr Bawumia recounted that immediately after the incident, government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources initiated measures that ensured that the burden on the residents were lessened and instituted a process for the resettlement of the residents.

Describing the Lands Minister as ‘Bulldozer’, Dr Bawumia spoke glowingly of him for his vested interest and commitment in ensuring that the Appiatse project came to fruition and also commended the members of the Appiatse Reconstruction Committee chaired by the former Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of forestry, Benito Owusu Bio for the efforts.

“We are grateful to all who offered support in our time of need, whether through words of comfort, a listening ear, provision of a need or a temporary place of abode or a contribution thereto; but very importantly to all – both corporate and individual Ghanaians – who, out of the generosity of their hearts, contributed in cash and kind to support the rebuilding of the new Appiatse we commission today. It is my prayer that the Almighty God will, abundantly, replenish whatever you sacrificed.  We are also grateful to the various committees, the Appiatse Support Fund, the Appiatse Implementation Committee, the experts, consultants, contractors and many others whose selfless dedication has brought us this far.

“To the indefatigable Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, who has led this project from the beginning to date, I say thank you for your exemplary leadership and dedication. Your commitment and relentless zeal in seeing to the completion of this project has been unwavering. This is why I refer to him as the “Bulldozer Minister.” He just gets the work done. I am aware of the several visits you made to this community to assess progress of work and to ensure that the contractors execute the project on schedule. The people of Appiatse are grateful for your services. I count on your dedication to see to the completion of Phase 3 of this consequential project, he said.

The Vice President gave the strongest assurance that the government has since the incident employed various measures and interventions to avert a re-occurrence of same and also assured the chiefs and residents that the government will continue to provide support for them and ensure that their living conditions take an upward curve.

On his part, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor commended the residents and chiefs of Appiatse for their collaborative efforts and patience throughout the period.

He singled out Dr Bawumia for praises as a leader who right from the onset, provided visionary and fatherly role to the people of Appiatse and stayed with them every step along the way. He recollected that a day after the incident, the Vice President visited the grieving community and assured them of his commitment to seeing their grief turn into joy and fulfillment of the promise.

He also commended the Benito Owusu-Bio led committee for their role in the  project and also empathised with those who lost their lives in the process. He did not leave out the Board Chair of the Minerals Commission and New Patriotic Party’s parliamentary candidate of the area, Barbara Oteng Gyasi for her commitment to the project.

Benito Owusu-Bio, the Chairperson of the Appiatse Reconstruction Project, expressed gratitude to the government and indicated his excitement with the completion of the project.

The ceremony, which was graced by high-ranking government officials such as the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Minister for Information designate, Hon. Fatimatu Abubakar amongst others, also saw the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia breaking grounds for the construction of a 70-unit housing project which is Phase Three of the Appiatse Reconstruction Project.

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Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the Resident pastor, Rev. Reuben Asare, said their donation is premised on love and support for the people of Apiate upon hearing the sudden news of the explosion.

The relief items presented included 24 boxes of assorted clothes and shoes, four boxes of soap and washing powder, 10 bags of 50kg rice, two boxes of cooking oil, three boxes of sardine and mackrel and one box of spaghetti.

This comes in line with some activities for the birthday celebration of their pastor, Rev. Kingsley Appiagyei, Rev. Asare noted.

According to him, the Bible admonishes Christians to visit orphans and widows in their trouble times, adding that “we felt that as a church this is a typical occasion for us to show those dimensions of a pure religion to the community, through love, care and support as directed by God.”

Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, the Chairman of the Support Fund committee, who expressed her profound gratitude on behalf of the people of Apiate, said she was particularly grateful the team helped save them the time and resource to transport the items.

She hoped that their gesture of love and kindness would be emulated by other churches to also support the worthy cause.

He said it formed part of President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s initiative to construct green communities across the country.

He said an estimated amount of GH¢70million would be needed for the project but the amount might rise due to inflation.

The minister stated this in Parliament yesterday while answering a question which stood in the name of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Prestea-Huni Valley, Robert Wisdom Cudjoe, but was asked on his behalf by the NDC MP for Elembele, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah.

” As we speak today surveyors are on-site putting in place markings and demarcations as we begin the construction in July. We have already awarded a contract to the contractor who is going to construct the town roads and the drainage, among others.

“Mr Speaker, I want to assure the House and the MPs for Prestea-Huni Valley and Elembele that a considerable amount of work is being done, and with the help of God, we will build Appiatse to the benefit of the victims of this tragic incident,” he said.

Mr Jinapor, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Damongo in the Savannah Region, said so far an amount of GH¢42.5 million had been realised for the Appiatse Fund, out of which GH¢1million had been released to the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Committee for the construction of temporary structures for victims of the disaster.

He said since the disaster occurred, the government had put in place several interventions to address the situation, and one of them was to set up the fund to raise sufficient funding for the reconstruction of the affected community.

He added that there was another effort by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the District Assembly and other agencies who were working on relief and welfare to ameliorate the suffering of the victims.

“There is also the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Committee chaired by my Deputy, Benito Owusu-Bio, and which is working around the clock to ensure the reconstruction of the community,” the minister said.

Mr Jinapor, however, noted that there was not sufficient funds for the construction of the community, and he therefore, called on Ghanaians, especially corporate bodies and MPs, to contribute to the fund for the reconstruction of the community.

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister disclosed that designs for the reconstruction had been completed and the structural integrity of the various buildings which survived, soil testing, pre-contract assessment of the site, and public tender for contractors to come up with designs also concluded.

He said a project consultant had also been appointed while the process of going through public competitive tender in order to select contractors for the construction of the buildings were also on course.

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Through a lot of collaborative efforts and supervision of work on-site, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, said five more structures have been added to the initial 32.

This brings the numbers to a total of 37 structures, which he said have all been completely refurbished with roofings, doors and windows, with carpets laid in each room to shelter all the displaced people of Apiate temporarily.

Addressing the media on his unannounced visit to Apiate, Mr Owusu-Bio said 800 victims of 125 households are being moved into the completed rooms while reaffirming that the official relocation day of the people from the tents to the completed buildings still remains 4th May 2022.

The Deputy Minister expressed his joy over the citizen’s enthusiasm about moving into the newly renovated buildings and hoped that on the actual day of final relocation, all 800 people would have moved from the tents to the temporary structures.

“Our visit here today was just to ensure that all the necessary arrangements are put in place for a smooth transition on 4th May 2022 on which we will come with the Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor to officially handover the buildings to the people.

“I’m happy with what I’ve seen today, most of them have moved in and gradually we hope that all will move in before we return on Wednesday,” he said.

He assured that having completed the temporary structures, plans are far advanced to commence work on the main Apiate site, adding that the tendering has been opened and the committee is almost done and soon the work will begin.

The Deputy Minister who is also the Chairman of the Apiate Reconstruction Committee in his submission appreciated the support of his team and the Municipal Chief Executive, Dr Isaac Dasmani and also thanked Ghanaians for their generosity towards the Support fund and the people of Apiate.

The temporary structures were handed out to the Ministry by the Future Global Resources Company(FGR), to aid government house the people of Apiate temporarily as it gathers efforts and funds to reconstruct the Apiate township which was razed by an explosion some months ago.

A mining truck driver, who was transporting explosives that were involved in an accident and later exploded at Apiate near Bogoso, in the Western Region on January 20, has finally broken his silence on the matter.

According to Alfred Pappoe, his real intention was not to kill people when the accident occurred but rather to save the residents by driving out of the town after sensing danger.

“When I was almost getting to Apiate, the town was in a bend and at that time the police escort had already negotiated the bend. I later saw a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction and immediately an Urvan bus was just close to him and trying to overtake the ‘Pragya’ and there was a motor rider behind the Urvan bus.

“The motor rider was still following the Urvan and just when the Urvan driver shifted to another lane, the motor rider lost control and two people fell from the motor and the motor was heading towards his direction as he was very close,” he said.

Mr Pappoe said at that instant it was so easy for him to avoid the motor by turning to his left but may run into the two persons who fell off the motor so he decided not to take that decision,” he recounted on Adom FM’s Kasiebo is Tasty.

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He continued: “If I turn to my left I may kill the two people but I later told myself that if the two people are safe then I need to take another lane. Unfortunately, I realised that that motor’s fuel tank had opened and started leaking under my truck and sparked the fire and touched my truck.”

Mr Pappoe said when the fire started he realised there was nothing he could do and so he decided to quickly move out of the town before it explodes.

“The town was just on the curve and when I realised there was nothing I could do, I decided to drive quickly from the town because I knew it was going to explode. That was when some of the residents started drawing closer to the truck and started shouting that the truck was on fire.

“I knew what was I doing and so I didn’t even pay attention to the residents. I wanted to just move out of the town and drive past a fuel station and get a safer place and leave the truck there to explode even though I was feeling the heat in the truck,” he added.

He said the residents were still following the truck and did not budge despite his continuous caution because they wanted to take pictures and videos of the incident.

Unfortunately, the explosives detonated and killed some of them.

The heartbroken driver, who is still nursing his wounds, said he is now out of job, stating MAXAM company where he worked paid him a month’s salary and sacked him not taking into consideration the danger he was involved in.

He, therefore, wondered why the company would sack him after risking his life without any compensation from them.

The disastrous accident at Apiate involved a DAF vehicle with registration number WR 2252-18 transporting explosives from Tarkwa to Chirano Gold Mines and a motorcycle.

The Police stated that the rider of the motorcycle from the opposite direction, collided with the vehicle on Thursday.

Fameye, upon reaching the destination, had some of the distressed locals mobbing him for a photo. They looked grateful for the relief items that included drinks, toiletries, and canned foods among other items that will sustain them for a period of time.

Taking to his social media to update his followers, Fameye said: “Visited the people of Apiate (Bogoso) together with my team to put smiles on their faces big thanks to @mcberrybiscuitsgh @serwaaamihere @serwaaamiherefoundation & @twelliumghana for supporting!!!! Can’t wait for the Concert!”

The community was struck with an explosion which has so far claimed 13 lives, affected about 70 others and destroyed property in the town.

Check out visuals of Fameye’s visit below:

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