Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Presidency, Stan Xoese Dogbe, has clarified the circumstances surrounding the La Pleasure Beach (Labadi Beach) demolition, saying the operation is unrelated to the government’s ongoing flood mitigation programme.
Mr Dogbe said the October 2, 2026 operation should not be confused with the work being undertaken by the government’s flood mitigation task force at locations including the Kpeshie Lagoon, East Legon Boundary Road, Oyarifa and areas behind Mayfair Estates.
According to him, those interventions are being carried out to support the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources in addressing existing flood risks and preventing future flooding.
“Let’s not get it twisted,” Mr Dogbe wrote in a statement, stressing that Friday’s beachfront operation was not a flood mitigation exercise.
He explained that the operation was conducted under the supervision of National Security following a request from the Labadi Beach Hotel.
Mr Dogbe said the structures affected includes permanent facilities such as the Polo Beach Club and other structures situated on the beachfront in front of the hotel.
He said the hotel had raised concerns about the impact of the structures and commercial activities on its operations, particularly in relation to the safety and tranquillity of the facility and the experience of its visitors.
According to Mr Dogbe, the hotel also believes the activities are affecting the reputation and orderly management of what he described as one of Ghana’s important tourism destinations.
“While the hotel will be able to explain, in more detail, the necessity for its action to reclaim its beach front, we must all be concerned about the serious sanitation issues that these unauthorised and unregulated commercial operations cause, in addition to the security risks,” he stated.
Mr Dogbe said he had seen drone footage and other videos showing conditions along the beachfront and questioned whether the Labadi Beach Hotel is justified in seeking to reclaim the section of beachfront in front of its facility.
“Is the Labadi Beach Hotel not right in reclaiming its beach front?” he asked.
He, however, drew a distinction between the beachfront operation he is defending and the separate controversy surrounding the demolition at La Pleasure Beach.
“I am not talking about the La Pleasure Beach,” Mr Dogbe clarified.
Mr Dogbe’s comments come after a separate demolition exercise at La Pleasure Beach on Friday October 2, triggered strong reactions from affected businesses, residents and political actors.
The operation was carried out by a joint security deployment involving personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces’ 48 Engineer Regiment and the Ghana Police Service.
Several structures used by businesses and commercial operators were demolished, with affected workers seen attempting to retrieve personal belongings and other items from the debris.
The exercise has raised questions about the ownership and legal status of the land, as well as the basis for the demolition.
Management and some operators have disputed the justification for the exercise, maintaining that the land is associated with Ga interests and that aspects of the ownership dispute remain unresolved.
The controversy has also been linked to concerns raised by the Labadi Beach Hotel over structures and commercial activities along portions of the beachfront.
Affected operators have questioned why the demolition proceeded amid what they maintain are unresolved issues concerning the land and related legal processes.
The operation also drew a strong response from the Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, who visited the scene and confronted security personnel overseeing the exercise.
The MP questioned the manner in which the demolition was being conducted and raised concerns about the impact on businesses and workers operating at the facility.
Her intervention has added a political dimension to the controversy, with renewed calls for clarity over the ownership of the beachfront, the authority behind the demolition and the rights of businesses operating on the land.
The development has also reignited broader discussions about the regulation of Accra’s beachfronts, sanitation, security, tourism development and the livelihoods of people whose businesses depend on coastal commercial activities.
Mr Dogbe’s statement seeks to separate those issues from the government’s flood control operations, insisting that the beachfront action he addressed was undertaken under National Security supervision at the request of the Labadi Beach Hotel and was not part of the flood mitigation task force’s activities.
By 1960news.com
