Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for a comprehensive investigation into the fire outbreak that ravaged a building at Tudu in Accra, saying authorities must determine what led to the incident to prevent future occurrences.
Speaking during a visit to the scene on Friday, June 5, the Vice President expressed concern about the state of the building and questioned whether warning signs may have been overlooked prior to the disaster.
“When we wake up in the morning, that is not what we expect to see, but this has happened,” she stated. “Looking at this building, I am just wondering what the history of this building is and for how long it has been in this condition.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stressed that although immediate assistance to affected residents remained a priority, it was equally important for authorities to investigate the root causes of the fire and assess whether safety regulations had been breached.
According to her, officials must evaluate the structural integrity of the building, determine whether it was being used within its approved capacity, and identify possible lapses that may have contributed to the incident.
“We need to examine all of them because we need them going forward so we do not repeat the situation,” she said. “First of all, we need to do an evaluation. We need to find out exactly what went wrong.”
The Vice President underscored the importance of enforcing building regulations, noting that public safety should never be compromised in the name of development or personal freedom.
“There are times when rules do not seem to make a lot of sense because nobody wants to be restricted. We all want our freedom, but that freedom should not come at the cost of anybody’s life,” she added.
She further linked the incident to the government’s broader agenda of accountability and institutional reforms, saying the tragedy highlighted the need for authorities to rethink existing systems and improve their effectiveness.
“When we talk about being accountable, it is all part of it. When we talk about resetting, it is all part of it. We need to rethink the way we have been doing things and try to do things differently and make them more effective,” she said.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also commended personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Police Service, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, the area Member of Parliament, the media, and other stakeholders for their swift response to the emergency.
She expressed relief that no lives were lost despite the extent of the damage and praised rescue teams for their efforts in ensuring the safety of residents.
“I am very happy to note that we have not lost a life. The important thing is to ensure that we do not get to those days as often as sometimes we do,” she noted.
As part of efforts to support victims of the fire, the Vice President donated relief items including mattresses, blankets, bags of rice, sugar, beans, and boxes of cooking oil to affected residents.
The fire, which occurred on June 3, 2026, destroyed parts of the building and displaced several occupants, forcing emergency response teams to intervene to prevent further destruction.
