About four buildings have collapsed in the month of June, and to prevent further disasters, the government has announced a demolition exercise targeting old, weak and dilapidated buildings.

Altogether, these incidents have left multiple people dead and several injured, highlighting a worsening structural safety crisis this year.

Over the years, the government has compensated landlords and homeowners following demolition exercises, but this time, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Ghana has indicated that the government will not bear any of such costs.

Speaking on the exercise during an interview on Adom FM’s Burning Issues programme on June 9, President of the Institution, Davor Wonder, affirmed the Interior Minister’s June 7 announcement of a demolition exercise following the fatal building collapse at North Industrial Area.

According to him, 16 unsafe buildings have been identified and earmarked for demolition.

The engineer added that any landlord who fails to pay will be taken to court and made to pay the full cost of the demolition, as well as all related legal fees.

About the demolition

Authorities began the exercise on Monday, June 8, demolishing a 50-year-old five-storey building at Osu.

During the Osu building demolition, a tractor driver working at the site was injured when part of the structure collapsed unexpectedly during the controlled demolition.

He was rescued and rushed to hospital. Authorities later confirmed that no fatalities occurred at Osu, but the incident highlighted the risks involved in demolishing aged, unstable buildings.

About buildings that have collapsed so far, injuries and fatalitiesAdenta

On June 3, a two‑storey building at Adenta New Site caved in during a heavy downpour. The structure had long shown signs of weakness, and the downpour worsened its already compromised foundation. Rescue teams managed to pull out four people alive, but sadly, one person was confirmed dead. Preliminary investigations pointed to structural defects and poor construction practices, compounded by the rain’s impact.

Barely five days after the Adenta incident, a building at the North Industrial Area near Avenor collapsed around 4:25 a.m. The collapse killed one person and left several others injured. Emergency services rushed to the scene, and investigations are still ongoing to determine the exact cause. Authorities suspect serious structural compromise, but details remain under review.

Also, another collapse was recorded on June 8, at Madina. The building collapsed while an unauthorised vertical extension was being added. The collapse killed one person and injured five others. Investigators discovered that the developers had ignored stop‑work orders, used poor‑quality concrete, and lacked the necessary permits for the extension.

On Sunday, June 7, the deadliest collapse occurred on June 9 at Avenor, where a building gave way, killing three people and leaving one survivor in critical condition. The Ghana National Fire Service confirmed that the structure had been severely compromised, and a court order was quickly issued to demolish the remaining unsafe portions. This incident was a turning point, prompting the government to announce the demolition of 16 structurally weak, old buildings across Accra to prevent further disasters.