Jubilee House, Korle Bu, Akosombo Dam, others risk destruction by earthquake

Some key national assets, including the Jubilee House, Kotoka International Airport, Tema Harbor, the Akosombo dam, and others, are at risk of collapsing when an earthquake occurs.

Experts say the facilities fall within large earthquake-prone zones, which stretches between the Volta, Greater Accra, Eastern Region, and the Central Regions.

“It is confusing to know that almost all critical state infrastructures are on the fault line,” the Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) Eric Nana Agyemang said.

A separate committee set up by the government had earmarked the earthquake-prone zones in their report.

Mr Agyemang noted that the government was working to mitigate the natural disaster’s impact if it happens.

“Certainly, investing in earthquake resilience will be worth all the efforts,” he said at a press conference on Thursday, April 8.

Accepting the committee’s recommendations, President Akufo-Addo directed for an immediate integrity audit of all public buildings to determine their state of preparedness in the event of an earthquake.

Ghana has recorded four major earthquakes, the last one being the most devastating, resulting in 17 deaths and 133 injuries.

They occurred in 1636,1862, 1906 and recently in 1939.

The 1939 earthquake led to the resettlement of hundreds of people in the capital Accra.

In recent times, there have been reports of earth tremors in some parts of the country.