Akosombo Dam Disaster; VRA And Energy Minister To Appear In Parliament On November 8
The Minister of Energy and the Management of the Volta River Authority (VRA) are expected to appear before Parliament on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, to brief the house on the Akosombo Dam spillage and its devastating effects on communities along the Volta River basin.
For weeks now, thousands of residents in parts of the Volta and Greater Accra Regions have been displaced, with their homes submerged and properties, including farmlands, destroyed due to the spillage of excess water from the dam.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, assured that his outfit would provide the necessary accountability to the citizenry.
“Even though VRA is under the Ministry of Energy, we take responsibility. It is a national disaster, an emergency. It is not only affecting people in the South. I would have requested for even more time, but since this house also needs to be informed about what is going on and the government’s response activities, I am not the lead government agency.”
“There is an inter-ministerial advisory team, but we will take responsibility and come to inform you about what VRA has done and hasn’t done once we have completed everything… And I do pledge that if it is next week Wednesday, I will be here with VRA,” he stated.