- GH¢52 million in donor funds for Appiatse remains unused due to bureaucratic and political delays.
- Reconstruction committees say their mandate excluded livelihood restoration.
- Land disputes stalled the third phase of housing development.
- Survivors like Joseph Appiah face financial ruin and unresolved grief.
- The committee recommended economic support, but no action has followed.
Three years after the deadly explosion that flattened Appiatse, a farming community near Bogoso, the promise of full recovery remains painfully unfulfilled. While 124 new houses now stand in place of rubble, millions in donor funds remain untouched — and survivors continue to struggle without basic livelihoods.
A recent investigation revealed that GH¢52 million of the GH¢112 million raised through the Appiatse Support Fund is still sitting in bank accounts, even as residents face economic ruin. The reason? Bureaucratic gridlock, political transition, and a narrow mandate that excluded livelihood restoration from the official scope of work.
Rev. Joyce Aryee, Chairperson of the Support Fund, confirmed that her committee was tasked solely with financial mobilisation for reconstruction — not with selecting contractors or supporting victims’ economic recovery. The fund’s disbursement process, designed with KPMG oversight, was transparent but rigid. And with no new directives from the current government, the committee remains inactive.
The Appiatse Redevelopment Implementation Committee, chaired by former Deputy Minister Benito Owusu-Bio, echoed this limitation. Their mandate was to build houses — not rebuild lives. Plans for a third phase of construction stalled over land disputes with local chiefs, who insisted on payment for adjacent land. The committee refused, citing donor ethics, and the project ground to a halt.
Meanwhile, residents like Joseph Appiah, who lost his son, two homes, and multiple businesses in the blast, remain trapped in a cycle of grief and financial hardship. Though one of his homes was rebuilt, it came with only a single toilet. A GH¢250,000 grant for repairs to his second house proved insufficient. And like many others, he received no compensation for the loss of life.
The committee’s own technical report recommended urgent livelihood support, calling for partnerships with civil society and local authorities to help victims rebuild their economic lives. But that recommendation has yet to be acted upon.
Today, Appiatse’s new streets and painted homes mask a deeper crisis — one of abandoned promises, idle funds, and a community still waiting for justice, dignity, and a chance to truly recover.
