The Local Government and Rural Development Committee of Parliament has expressed concern over the continued proliferation of containers and other unauthorised structures in East Legon, Accra.

The Committee raised the issue during an engagement with officials of the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly, who appeared before Parliament to account for activities within the municipality and address concerns over development and the enforcement of planning regulations.

The officials told the Committee that the Assembly had not issued permits for the containers and other temporary structures that have emerged at various locations in East Legon.

The revelation heightened concerns among lawmakers about the effectiveness of the Assembly’s monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, particularly in an area regarded as one of Accra’s high-value residential and commercial communities.

Committee Chairperson, Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, questioned why unauthorised structures continued to emerge despite the Assembly’s position that it had not approved them.

She expressed concern that the growing presence of containers and temporary structures could undermine proper physical planning and the orderly development of the area.

“Why do you allow containers springing up everywhere around such an expensive area? And temporary structures too. There are a lot of them there. Are you ready to do something about it because they are unauthorised structures and containers and all of that?”

The Committee Chairperson subsequently tasked the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly with developing a comprehensive strategy to address the situation and clear the unauthorised structures from the area.

She stressed the need for the Assembly to take concrete steps to enforce planning and development regulations and prevent the structures from continuing to spread.