President Akufo-Addo on Thursday made a personal donation of ¢100,000 to the Apeatse Support Fund which has been established by the Lands Ministry following the Apeatse explosion incident.

With this donation, the President becomes the first person to donate to the fund.

At a short ceremony at Jubilee House where the donation was made, the President said the incident was an unfortunate one that resulted in the loss of life and property, injuries, and the destruction of the entire community.

He said he was deeply saddened by the incident, and thus sent the Vice President, and other senior Government officials, to commiserate with the people.

The President expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

He reaffirmed government’s commitment to pay in full the medical bills of all the injured.

The President also said Government was committed to supporting the victims and rebuilding the community, and hence the establishment of the Fund.

He said the donation was his personal donation, and that Government will support the Fund with the necessary resources to rebuild the community.

Launching the Fund at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the sector minister, and Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, Samuel A. Jinapor, said the purpose of the fund is to, among others, support the victims of the incident and reconstruct the Appiatse community.

The Minister has also inaugurated a five-member committee, chaired by a former Minister and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, to manage the fund.

He charged the committee to raise sufficient funds, and supervise its disbursement in accordance with the highest standards of integrity and transparency for the benefit of the Apeatse community.

The Minister later led a government delegation to inspect the community to begin the process of reconstruction.

Meanwhile, the President also said he has tasked the security agencies to conduct full and impartial investigations into the matter, and anyone found culpable will be made to face the law.

He called on all well-meaning Ghanaians and foreigners, as well as corporate Ghana, to donate generously to the Fund to speed up the reconstruction of the community.

Receiving the donation, the Chairperson of the Appiatse Support Fund Committee, Dr Joyce Aryee thanked the President for the generous gesture.

She said she hoped that the donation by the President will encourage more people to donate to the Fund to support the victims and the reconstruction of the community.

The Apeatse Support Fund was established following an explosion that occurred when a truck carrying explosives for mining was involved in an accident in the town.

Thirteen people died from the incident while over a hundred people suffered various degrees of injuries. The community was razed down by the explosion.

The government established the Fund to support the community.

The other members of the Committee that manages the Fund are Tetrete Okuamoah Sakyi II, Omanhene of Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area, Philip Owiredu, Managing Director of Cal Bank, Dr Antoinette Tsiboe-Darko, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana and Sulemanu Koney, the CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.