BY Daniel Bampoe
Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has condemned the demolition of structures at La Pleasure Beach in Accra, describing the area as a socially, economically, and culturally significant enclave that has supported thousands of livelihoods and contributed to the tourism industry.
In a statement issued from Kumasi on Saturday, October 3, 2026, Dr. Bawumia said the demolition of the beach facilities was particularly troubling because of the economic and tourism value the area had developed over the years.
He argued that La Beach had evolved into one of Ghana’s most vibrant beach destinations and had become a source of livelihood for thousands of people, particularly young people engaged in hospitality, entertainment, food services and other businesses connected to the beach economy.
According to him, the area had also hosted several international events and shows and helped promote tourism, including activities associated with the Year of Return during the previous NPP administration.
“It is sad that this very significant enclave has been demolished so wantonly,” Dr. Bawumia stated, adding that he was particularly concerned that movable assets belonging to some operators were also destroyed.
His comments come after a joint security operation on Friday, October 2, during which personnel of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, supported by the Ghana Police Service, demolished structures at La Pleasure Beach and other facilities along the beachfront.
Security personnel arrived at about 4 a.m. and directed workers, traders and operators to leave the area as the exercise proceeded.
The operation resulted in several structures being completely or partially demolished, while affected workers and operators attempted to retrieve their belongings from the rubble. Some business operators subsequently complained about the loss of property and livelihoods.
The demolition has also generated a dispute over the reason for the exercise.
Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe, has clarified that the operation was not part of the government’s flood mitigation exercise.
He said National Security supervised it following a request from the Labadi Beach Hotel.
Mr Dogbe distinguished the operation from the work of the government’s flood mitigation task force around the Kpeshie Lagoon, East Legon Boundary Road, Oyarifa and behind Mayfair Estates.
Those interventions, he explained, were aimed at supporting the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources in mitigating future flooding.
According to Mr Dogbe, some of the structures affected, including the Polo Beach Club, were located on the beachfront in front of the Labadi Beach Hotel.
He said the hotel had raised concerns that the structures and commercial activities were affecting the safety, tranquillity and reputation of the hotel and diminishing the visitor experience.
He also cited sanitation and security concerns associated with what he described as unauthorised and unregulated commercial operations.
The clarification has, however, not ended concerns surrounding the demolition.
The Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, confronted security personnel at the site and questioned the basis for the exercise.
She said she had previously engaged relevant authorities and had been assured that the structures would not be demolished.
The MP also expressed concern about the impact of the exercise on businesses and workers, with some operators saying they had lost significant investments.
One operator said her company employed more than 70 people and claimed to have lost property worth more than GH¢1 million.
Against this background, Dr. Bawumia said his concern was not limited to the physical structures that had been demolished but also the livelihoods and economic ecosystem that had developed around La Beach.
He pledged that, if allowed to lead the country, he would seek to rebuild the beach economy and create a more structured system under which businesses could operate within clearly defined legal and planning arrangements.
Under his proposed approach, Dr. Bawumia said leases would be issued to businesses operating at the beach, while the area would be redesigned to meet appropriate standards and operators would be s assisted to run their businesses within a regulated framework.
He further pledged to secure space for the Labadi Beach Hotel and other major establishments while allowing smaller businesses to coexist, arguing that both large and small operators form part of the broader beach tourism ecosystem.
Dr. Bawumia also said he would engage the owners of Laboma Beach to resolve outstanding issues and work with them to establish their businesses in compliance with the law.
He added that attention would also be given to the lagoon and environmental challenges in the area, including flooding-related concerns.
The NPP flagbearer said his broader objective would be to protect and improve the thousands of jobs supported by the beach economy rather than allow the sector to collapse.
“I am committed to save the thousands of jobs that t beach economy supports and to improve them,” he stated.
The controversy over the demolition follows an earlier exercise at Laboma Beach in September, where some structures were demolished by the government’s Post-Flood Mitigating Task Force.
That exercise was linked to wider operations targeting structures considered to obstruct waterways and efforts to desilt and dredge water bodies.
