Ada Foah Community demands comprehensive local content policy

The people of Ada Foah in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region are demanding a comprehensive local content policy before the construction of the Hilton Resort, Spa and the Turtle Bay at Kewunor.

The Community is of the view that the local content policy would help the more than 1,000 families living in about 750-unit houses to fully benefit from the project.

The people said the houses to be built for relocation must be comfortable while payment of compensation packages must be made to the affected people on the land to avoid any confusion.

Mr Julius Amesimeku Odoi, the Convenor of the Kewunor Advocacy Group, made the demand at a public forum at Ada as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment that the company must satisfy.

The forum, which was organised by the Environmental Protection Agency, afforded the Trasacco Estates Development Company (TEDC) to explain the project to the community members, the potential environmental impact and the measures it would adopt to mitigate the impact.

The forum brought together civil society organisations, opinion leaders, religious leaders, and assembly members to discuss the way forward for the project.

Mr Odoi urged the TEDC to satisfy all their needs before the community would give their approval for the company to begin the project.

He said even though the project would create employment opportunities for the youth in the area and contribute to promoting tourism, there was the need for the company to satisfy the needs of the community members adequately.

Mr Odoi appealed to the EPA and stakeholders to ensure that the company satisfied all the necessary requirements before approving the project.

Ms Pearl Ume, the General Manager of the TEDC, in charge of Design, in response to the demands, pledged the company’s commitment to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that the concerns of the people are adequately addressed.

She said the TEDC conducted a census in Kewunor in 2014 and designed a comprehensive relocation plan for the inhabitants of the area, including the construction of one to two bedroom houses and a basic school among other amenities at another location within the district.

Mr Jacob Kurian, the General Manager of the TEDC, said the company would reach an agreement with the local authorities to ensure that it fixed the sea defence wall in case of any damage.

Mr Kwabena Badu-Yeboah, the Head of the Environmental Assessment and Audit Division of the EPA, said the outfit would work assiduously to ensure that the company complied with the mandatory requirements before approval would be granted.

Source: GNA

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