Gov’t to demolish 16 unsafe buildings in Greater Accra after Avenor collapse

The Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has disclosed that 16 buildings in the Greater Accra Region have been declared structurally unsafe and will soon be demolished as part of government efforts to avert further tragedies linked to building collapses.

The announcement comes in the aftermath of the collapse of a three-storey building at Avenor in North Kaneshie on Sunday, June 7, which resulted in two deaths and left three others injured.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to the disaster site, the Interior Minister explained that the government, through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), has already identified several dangerous structures considered unsafe for occupation.

He said immediate steps are being taken to evacuate residents from the affected buildings before demolition begins to prevent further threats to lives and property.

“Currently, NADMO has identified about 16 buildings within the Greater Accra Region that have to come down. We are going to ensure that, coming into the week, they will go and get all those buildings down.

“We are currently doing the evacuations, and they must bring all those buildings down. I mean, some things are natural, and God will take care of the supernatural, but for the natural ones, we have to take care of them,” he stated.

According to Muntaka, the exercise forms part of a broader government initiative aimed at minimising avoidable disasters and preventing unsafe structures from becoming death traps.

The Avenor incident is the latest in a series of building collapses that have intensified concerns over ageing structures, poor maintenance and substandard construction practices, underscoring calls for stricter enforcement of building safety regulations.