‘Rules never make sense, but we need them’ — Jane Naana on Avenor disaster

Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has called for stricter adherence to building and safety regulations following the tragic collapse of a building at Avenor in Accra, which left residents and rescue teams in shock on June 7, 2026.

Speaking during a visit to the disaster scene, the Vice President expressed sorrow over the incident and commended emergency responders for their swift intervention efforts.

“We heard of the disaster early in the morning and we planned to come and see for ourselves. But we also knew that our rescue agencies were going to be up to the task,” she said.

Surrounded by security personnel, government officials, and rescue workers, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang thanked the Ghana National Fire Service, the police, local authorities, and residents who joined efforts to save lives at the scene.

“It’s not a simple thing to wake up and see, or even hear, but sometimes it happens,” she stated.

While acknowledging that some disasters may be unavoidable, the Vice President stressed that many tragedies result from negligence and failure to obey regulations.

“There are times when nature will take its course. That is why we have force majeure. In other words, there are things that you cannot prevent. But my colleagues, my friends, there are many, many, many things we can prevent. And it’s about doing the right things,” she stressed.

Her comments come amid growing public concern over poor building practices, illegal construction, and disregard for safety standards in parts of the capital.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang questioned why incidents such as the Avenor collapse continue to occur despite repeated warnings about unsafe structures and flood-prone areas.

“As we are standing here, we are told that somebody is trapped in there. Why should this happen? Because somebody didn’t do the right thing,” she lamented.

The Vice President urged authorities and citizens alike to take responsibility and support the enforcement of regulations instead of resisting them.

“Rules never make sense. Nobody likes rules. But we need rules. Otherwise, nothing will function,” she noted.

She further called for a thorough investigation into the incident to determine what went wrong and prevent future occurrences.

“We need to do a proper investigation. We must all open ourselves to being held to account. This really maybe needn’t have happened,” she said.

Touching on flooding and unregulated construction, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang warned against building in waterways and other unsafe locations.

“We know the place is prone to flooding. We know that this is a waterway. Let’s not invite unnecessary tragedy,” she cautioned.

Rescue operations were still ongoing at the time of her visit, with emergency personnel working to locate individuals believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.

NA/BAI

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