The Registrar of the Engineering Council under the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Engineer Isaac Badu, has revealed that several potentially unsafe structures have been identified across Accra, with the abandoned La Beach Towers project among buildings currently under technical assessment.
Engr. Badu disclosed this in an interview on Joy FM’s Midday News on Monday, 30 March, highlighting ongoing efforts to ensure structural integrity and public safety.
He cited the La Beach Towers as one of the structures under review, noting that engagements have already been held with the developers and consultants involved in the project.
“We’ve had meetings with the developers and consultants, and we are assessing it. Once we complete our assessment, we will make recommendations,” he said.
He further indicated that the Council occasionally encounters such cases during routine inspections or through reports, underscoring the need for stricter compliance with building regulations.
The development follows the recent collapse of an uncompleted three-storey building at Accra New Town, which claimed three lives and renewed concerns about structural safety and regulatory enforcement in the capital.
According to him, the Council routinely investigates buildings where concerns are raised, working to determine whether such structures pose risks to occupants and the public.
“When there is activity and the need arises to investigate, we assess to ascertain whether structures are unsafe. If we establish that they are unsafe, then action is taken, and recommendations are made to the appropriate authorities,” he explained.
He emphasised that while the Council conducts technical assessments and makes recommendations, enforcement actions are largely carried out by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), which have the legal mandate to act on such findings.
La Beach Towers is a prominent, unfinished luxury residential development project located on the La Beach waterfront in Accra. Initiated around 2009 by Cypress Investments Limited, the project was planned as three 17-storey towers (Oceanic, Palms, and Waves), but construction halted around 2016 due to financial and ownership issues.
The structure has often been a point of interest for its immense scale, with various speculations regarding its future, although it has not been officially reported as structurally unsound by authorities.
ALSO READ:
