The Ponyentanga Displaced Residents Association (PDRA) has given the Wa West District Assembly 14 days to answer questions about the demolition of homes and businesses belonging to 14 households to make way for the 24-Hour Economy Market Project.
The affected residents say they appreciate the intervention of traditional leaders and the Member of Parliament for Wa West, which resulted in one plot of land being allocated to each of the 14 households.
However, they insist the land allocation does not compensate for the homes, businesses, structures, and livelihoods they say were destroyed during the demolition on May 19, 2026.
Addressing journalists at a press conference held at Ponyentanaga New Town, dated August 30, 2026, the Association said it was seeking “dialogue, accountability and a fair, dignified resolution, not confrontation.”
According to the Secretary of PDRA, George Naangmesoti Kancheon, the MP met the affected residents on May 31, together with the District Chief Executive, the contractor and the party chairman, and assured them that appropriate support would be provided within four months.
The Association says that three months after the assurance, no affected household has received compensation or a relief package, while no assessment of the losses has commenced.
“Only plots have been shown; there has been no relief package, no follow-up visit, and no assessment has commenced,” the secretary stated.
The residents argue that the delay is particularly concerning because some of the affected households include elderly persons, children, widows and orphans who, according to the Association, are unable to absorb the economic shock resulting from the displacement.
George Naangmesoti Kancheon said their central concern is that resettlement land, compensation and livelihood restoration are three separate issues that must be addressed.
“A plot of land is not compensation,” the Association stressed, arguing that the affected families lost homes, businesses and income-generating investments built over several years.
The residents are therefore demanding a professional valuation of the structures and livelihoods they claim were lost, followed by a clear and time-bound compensation process.
The Association is also demanding answers from the Wa West District Assembly on the circumstances surrounding the demolition. It wants the Assembly to disclose who formally authorised the May 19 demolition and under what written directive.
It is further asking for information on how the land for the market project was acquired and what documentation exists regarding the affected households’ previous occupation and investments.
PDRA is also seeking clarification on whether the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs was formally notified of the matter and, if so, what action or response followed.
The displaced residents are also challenging conditions attached to their newly allocated plots. They are calling for a review of the two-year development deadline and restrictions on the use of mud or brick for construction.
The Association argues that the affected families may not have the financial capacity to construct permanent buildings within the stipulated period, particularly when compensation for their previous properties has not yet been paid.
It is also demanding that each household receive formal documentation indicating the location, boundaries and conditions of its allocated plot.
Beyond compensation and documentation, PDRA is asking authorities to provide basic infrastructure at the resettlement site.
These include roads, potable water, electricity, drainage and sanitation facilities.
The Association is also appealing to the Wa West MP to facilitate a formal engagement between the affected families and the District Assembly to establish a clear compensation and recovery roadmap. Traditional leaders have equally been asked to consider flexibility on the conditions attached to the plots to prevent families from losing the land intended to help them recover.
14-day ultimatum
PDRA says it wants an administrative resolution to the matter but has set a 14-day deadline for a formal response and a clear compensation and recovery roadmap.
It says that if no meaningful response is received within the period, it will escalate the matter through formal petitions to the President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and Legal Aid Ghana.
The Association emphasised that the proposed escalation is not intended as a threat but as a lawful avenue for citizens seeking redress.
“We are not against development, and we are not against the 24-Hour Economy Project. We simply believe development must have a human face. We appreciate the land, but we cannot accept neglect; we support the project, but we still need accountability.”
By Ibrahim Abubakari Wangara
