Five contractors have moved to the site at Appiatse in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region to commence the reconstruction of the Appiatse Community, razed by an explosion on January 20.

Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and Chairman of the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Team, who announced this on Friday, said after a series of administrative processes, it had secured approval from the Public Procurement Authority to allow five contractors to commence work on the site.

He said the five contractors had moved to the site and had begun work to restore the livelihoods of the residents of Appiatse to normalcy.

The contractors include Fineness Elevation Limited, Savanna Grande Company Limited, Builders Company Limited, MegaTech Plus Engineering Solutions Limited, MackSams Limited and Mc Castro Company Limited.

As part of his working visit to the community to familiarise himself with the progress of work, Mr Owusu-Bio engaged the contractors on site and urged them to beef up security to ensure the safety of their workers.

He asked the contractors to ensure the workers strictly complied with the safety protocols.

“For instance, everybody must be in a helmet, make sure they are in their safety boots and those who failed to comply should be queried to deter others,” the Deputy Minister stated.

He also tasked the contractors to ensure proper and clear demarcation of the plots with caution tapes to prevent potential accidents.

They should also erect small signboards on their lots to avert potential clashing of contractors and ensure easy identification.

On sanitation on site, Mr Owusu-Bio asked the contractors to provide potable water, toilet facilities and other basic amenities to avoid delays and complaints.

Mr Owusu-Bio reiterated the government’s commitment to building a green and model community by employing a domestic brick system for the structures.