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Dr. Stephen Saforo Yirenkyi, a recipient of the 2024 Order of the Volta \u2013 Member Award for Spatial Planning and Public Service, has advocated for stricter penalties for those who violate Ghana\u2019s spatial planning regulations.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Citi News after receiving the award from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr. Yirenkyi attributed Accra\u2019s recurring flooding to widespread noncompliance with planning guidelines.<\/p>\n
As a Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Planners (GIP), he called on the government to prioritise the enforcement of spatial planning laws to curb flooding and prevent unregulated development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cPeople are very deviant. They don\u2019t want to listen to the advice we give to them. The flooding that comes our way is all because they don\u2019t take the planning advice that we expect from them. If they take the advice, I don\u2019t think all this will happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cWe need to add some punitive measures to people failing to comply with the planning schemes that we give to them. Because if you don\u2019t head to it, we as planners don\u2019t have the whip to crack. So there must be some penalty. Severe punishment, for that matter. Because if there is a waterway and you go and build across the waterway, certainly it\u2019s going to flood. You don\u2019t have an option,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
He was honoured for his outstanding contributions to spatial planning and public service, underscoring his dedication to promoting sustainable urban development and advocating for effective planning practices in Ghana.<\/p>\n
Read More Here\u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Full list of persons on 2024 Ghana National Honours<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n