He said on Eyewitness News that, “clearly the minister was evasive on that particular issue.”

The Chief of Kyeremankoma, where the site is located, alleged that the group evicted all tour guides after the NPP won the 2016 elections, in the weeks leading up to the March 2017 disaster which claimed 18 lives.

[contextly_sidebar id=”K4oxh1i8sVjaxFIm0sVfpbWh9MPPXQPB”]But the Minister, Catherine Afeku, stated on the floor of Parliament that the Municipal Assembly was firmly in control of the tourist site.

But Mr. Ablakwa said it was clear that “she could not tell Parliament who was manning the place. She only says vaguely that it was under the care of the municipality… She doesn’t tell us who these personnel were, who contracted them and why they lacked the requisite training and expertise to be there.”

“She could not tell us the specific names, the management company, who contracted them and who the persons there were. These are all questions that we are still asking.”

In Mr. Ablakwa’s view, the nature of the situation demanded more transparency and boldness “to expose wrongdoing if wrongdoing has happened.”

More safety audits needed

Mrs. Afeku’s conclusions on the floor were in relation to the official Safety Audit team’s report.

She has assured that the full report will be made available to Parliament, but gleaning some bits of information from what the Minister delivered, Mr. Ablakwa highlighted the fact that only six other tourists sites were being audited by a safety team.

Mr. Ablakwa remarked that the safety audits needed to be expanded to other tourist sites.

“Six struck me. There are hundreds of tourists’ sites and it is surprising that the ministry is carrying out safety audits in only six…  I think that the ministry can do more to guarantee the safety of tourists. I think that they can expand the safety audits beyond the six that they have selected.”

The sites under audit are; Fuller Falls near Kintampo, Kakum National Park in the Central Region, Wli Falls in the Volta Region, Nzulezu in the Western Region, Bunsu Aboretem in the Eastern Region and Boti Waterfalls in the Eastern Region.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ablakwa slams Afeku over Invisible Forces’ role in Kintampo Falls disaster appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Catherine Afeku, noted that, the “report concluded that although this was an act of God, a number of remote and immediate causes were identified as being instrumental to the accident, and the response following the disaster.”

These causes included “the lack of focus on public safety responsibilities, a lack of adequate training and supervision of personnel, poor environmental management factors and impact of encroachers, which has exposed the soil to major erosion and made trees weak and vulnerable,” the Minister revealed.

Thus, the audit team recommended:

• An immediate afforestation exercise to improve the diversity of the flora
• Activities to check erosion
• A review of the management structures
• Recruitment and training enhancements
• The introduction of clearly defined public safety management measures and emergency preparedness and coordination
• The removal of loose rocks and those in potentially precarious positions at various stages of the Falls
• The creation of Separate entries and exits to different stages, especially Stage Three of the Falls
• The re-engineering of the staircase
• The re-engineering of the entrance from the main Techiman-Tamale Highway amongst others
• Suggestions to incorporate “museum, rebuilding a replica of Kwame Nkrumah’s lodge, the addition of a canopy walkway, campsite, hotels and cafeteria amongst others.

NPP’s invisible forces not complicit

Mrs. Afeku also exonerated the  Pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) group, Invisible Forces, who are alleged to have evicted all tour guides after the party came into office before the accident occurred.

But the Minister stated on the Floor of Parliament that the Municipal Assembly was firmly in control of the facility contrary to reports made by persons like the Chief of Kyeremankoma.

Other tourist sites under scrutiny

Meanwhile, a safety audit is also ongoing at Fuller Falls near Kintampo, Kakum National Park in the Central Region, Wli Falls in the Volta Region, Nzulezu in the Western Region, Bunsu Aboretem in the Eastern Region and Boti Waterfalls in the Eastern Region.

Mrs. Afeku said the various audits are being led by the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, comprising military engineers from the 48 engineers regiment, the National Disaster Management Organisation, consultants, the Ghana Forestry Commission, a tourism NGO by name Tourism Safety Initiative, and other officials of state agencies.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Poor safety, supervision contributed to Kintampo Falls disaster – Afeku appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.