The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, has announced plans to transform the slum along the Korle Lagoon in Accra into high rise container housing as part of efforts to improve sanitation and public health in the area. The proposal is intended to reorganise the densely populated settlement while allowing residents to remain close to the places where they work.
Speaking about the redevelopment concept, the Bawku Central MP explained that the government does not intend simply to remove residents from the area and leave them without accommodation. Instead, the plan would involve reorganising the settlement vertically through the construction of low cost and livable housing facilities. “We will redevelop it by taking some space there, and then develop low-cost housing facilities,” he explained.
Honourable Ayariga argued that the approach would make better use of the limited land available around the lagoon. He suggested that properly designed container units could be stacked to accommodate a large population on a much smaller portion of the existing settlement.
The Minister said the proposed development would require collaboration between the state, private sector investors and development partners. Such partnerships, he noted, could provide the financing and technical support required to create housing that meets basic standards of livability.
He also explained that keeping residents within the area would have an economic advantage because many of them provide services within Accra. Relocating them far from their workplaces, he indicated, could create additional difficulties for workers who depend on proximity to the city for their livelihoods.
The redevelopment plan therefore seeks to combine environmental restoration with a new approach to urban accommodation. Rather than allowing the area to return to its current condition after the accumulated waste is removed, the government intends to create a more organised residential environment.
The Minister acknowledged that some residents could resist the planned intervention, particularly if they fear losing their homes or sources of livelihood. However, he expressed confidence that the wider public would support efforts to clear the area and establish a safer environment.
He further noted that redevelopment would inevitably affect some economic activities currently taking place within the settlement. Activities such as cattle rearing, he indicated, would not be compatible with the proposed residential arrangement and would have to give way to the new land use.
The proposal forms part of a broader government effort to address the longstanding environmental problems surrounding the Korle Lagoon. Recent reports indicate that the government intends to clear accumulated waste from the area before pursuing the redevelopment agenda.
According to Honourable Ayariga, the central objective is to create a settlement where residents can live in organised and healthier conditions without being pushed away from the economic opportunities available in Accra. The concept would therefore seek to address both the physical condition of the area and the housing needs of the people who currently depend on it.
Minister Calls For Lasting Measures After Korle Lagoon Cleanup
The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Honourable Mahama Ayariga, also outlined a major operation to remove decades of accumulated waste from the Korle Lagoon and surrounding areas in Accra. The exercise will involve the evacuation of refuse to the Adepa Waste Management Centre at Nsawam as government steps up efforts to tackle the capital’s persistent sanitation problems.
The Bawku Central MP disclosed that the planned operation would require a coordinated effort involving security personnel, waste management operators, contractors and heavy equipment. The scale of the accumulated refuse means that trucks, excavators, bulldozers and loaders will be required to move the waste from the affected locations.
A key part of the exercise will be the transportation of the evacuated waste to the Adepa facility in the Eastern Region. The centre operates around the clock and has the capacity to receive between 1,500 and 1,700 tonnes of waste each day, according to its management.
The facility has been assessed by the ministry as part of preparations for the operation. Honourable Ayariga visited the centre to determine its capacity and examine the logistical arrangements required to receive waste transported from Accra.
Logistics will be particularly important because the exercise is expected to involve a large number of truck movements between Accra and Nsawam. Government has also been engaging private contractors to provide equipment and personnel to support the evacuation, including additional assistance during weekends.
The Minister, however, has indicated that removing the waste alone would not resolve the sanitation challenge. He stressed that the cleared areas would need to be protected after the exercise to prevent residents and commercial operators from returning to dump refuse.
Military personnel are expected to help secure some of the cleared locations once the evacuation is completed. The measure is intended to stop renewed dumping and preserve the gains made through the clean-up operation.
The government’s approach also forms part of a wider review of Ghana’s waste management system. Earlier inspections by the Minister covered several facilities in Greater Accra, including transfer stations, the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant and the Kpone landfill, as authorities assess weaknesses across the waste management chain.
Mr Ayariga has also indicated that the government is examining ways to undertake the operation without placing an additional financial burden on the state. Discussions with contractors are therefore expected to help mobilise the equipment and personnel needed for the exercise.
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