Laboma Beach Demolished!

The demolition of selected structures running tourism and hospitality businesses at the Laboma Beach, a popular serene environment for outdoor events in Accra has left workers and business owners counting their losses, with affected persons expressing concern over the destruction of their livelihoods.

Authorities say the demolition of the selected structures was to restore the Kpeshi Lagoon’s natural capacity to retain floodwaters. It was found that years of illegal reclamation, sand filling, and construction had reduced the basin’s ability to hold water, directly contributing to recent flooding in surrounding communities like Tse Addo

The September 13 demolition operation, which carried out by the 48 Engineer Regiment following a 21-day ultimatum issued on August 7, 2026, has pitted operators and workers at the popular beachside destination against the authorities, with the government maintaining that the action was necessary and that the right thing had been done.

The demolition exercise, has also affected several other structures located within the protected zone.

The exercise follows an August 7 directive to remove structures encroaching on waterways and their buffer zones as part of broader measures to address flooding and restore natural drainage channels in the Greater Accra Region.

It has wiped out places of employment and businesses which, according to the operators, had become an important source of income for workers and their families.

Some workers have consequently been left uncertain about their next source of livelihood, while business owners are also confronted with the prospect of rebuilding their operations elsewhere or seeking alternative means of survival.

Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe in a detailed explanation, said the exercise has a narrow, technical purpose: clearing silted portions of the Kpeshie Lagoon’s water retention basin so dredging could proceed.

According to him, structures outside that footprint were left standing, adding that, removing them falls outside the Post Flood Mitigation Task Force’s mandate.

“The exercise targeted marked structures that needed to be cleared to allow for the dredging of the silted areas that were within the water retention basin, which in the past, held water flowing down into the sea. This basin has been ‘attacked’, the vegetation destroyed and the area filled with solid materials including boulders in order to build physical structures” he made it known in a Facebook post.

He added, “This has affected the flow of water from upstream towards the sea and also reduced the holding capacity of the basin. Take a good look at the video attached. It is these structures that the owners were alerted more than a month ago, by the REGSEC, that were pulled down on Sunday morning. Other structures and businesses have not been touched because that is not within the work scope and mandate of the Task Force.

“The exercise followed a directive issued by the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) on August 6, after an inspection of the Laboma Beach enclave, ordering occupants within what used to be a protected lagoon buffer zone to vacate within 21 days. The demolition team also pulled down a fresh wall built along the Labadi – Teshie road, to block off an area where the vegetation has been destroyed and filling with solid materials was ongoing.”
Directive

In addition, Mr. Dogbe has directed the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) to commence the ecological restoration of reclaimed sections of the Kpeshie Lagoon following the removal of illegal structures within the wetland’s protected buffer zone.

The restoration will involve the Forestry Commission and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), with plans to plant coconut and other suitable trees while providing the environmental safeguards needed to restore the fragile ecosystem.

Mr Dogbe emphasised that the objective is not simply to clear the area, but to return the reclaimed sections to their natural state, strengthen the lagoon’s capacity to retain floodwaters and prevent future encroachment.

According to him, the Kpeshie Lagoon is among Accra’s critical flood intervention points, with years of reclamation, sand filling and development having reduced its natural water-holding capacity.