'Tsooo!', Ablakwa on 'Villagio-like' Nima gentrification plan

The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has asked the Akufo-Addo-led government to first pay attention to the “numerous unfulfilled promises contained in the NPP's 2016 manifesto” rather than making new promises of transforming Nima and Maamobi slums into prime areas.

His comment comes on the back of an announcement by the Works and Housing Minister, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea that the government will be rolling out an ambitious housing project to redevelop Nima, one of Ghana's biggest slums, into a world-class environment.

Speaking at the ‘Meet The Press’ series in Accra, Mr Atta Akyea indicated that the project will be implemented together with the Inner-cities and Zongo Development Ministry without dislodging any resident of Nima.

The project will come at no cost to the residents, who will be given free flats to free up land space in that area for developers to build “Villagio-like buildings” to beautify the place.

“You cannot permit, with the greatest of respect, a whole land area in a prime place to be wasted like that … A slum is like a God-forsaken place. We shouldn’t continue like that. We should give them human dignity by coming to develop the whole area. We are not going to ask them to get out of the premises, we are going to give them a very good place to live and the rest of the land will be released to developers”, Mr Atta Akyea stated.

He said the ministry is seeking parliamentary approval, after which they will engage the chiefs and community leaders in Nima about the project.

Reacting to this announcement, Mr Ablakwa, in a Facebook post, said: “Respectfully, can our friends in government be advised to first pay attention to the numerous unfulfilled promises contained in the NPP's 2016 manifesto and the current crisis with many sectors of national life as epitomised by the shambolic handling of the kidnapped Takoradi girls before making new utopian promises of transforming homes in Nima and Maamobi into ‘Villagio-like world-class executive high-rise buildings.’

“If my very good friend Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea had made this announcement in North Tongu, my people would have exclaimed: Tsoooooooo!!!”