Accra floods: 1,000 vehicles damaged at Odawna

More than 1,000 vehicles were submerged during the flood on Monday, June 29 at the Odawna Garage in Accra, raising fears that about 1,500 apprentices could lose their training and livelihood, the Chairman of the garage, Sampson Prempeh, said.

Speaking to Bernard Avle during an assessment of the flood on July 2, Mr Prempeh described the destruction as one of the worst the facility had experienced, saying the flooding brought operations at one of Ghana’s largest automobile repair hubs to a standstill.

“On that day, we called the ECG office to turn off the light in the area because of the flood, and also to help us be able to at least get access,” he said, adding, “When we finally got access, we could count to say that at the time, about 1,000 vehicles had been submerged in the flood.”

Mr Prempeh said although apprentices managed to rescue a small number of vehicles, the majority were completely inundated by floodwaters.

“The apprentices were only able to salvage a few. The rest are all gone,” he said.

He explained that the garage employs more than 2,000 people, including about 1,500 apprentices undergoing technical training, many of whom also live on the premises.

“We have about 1,500 apprentices who are in training. Many of them reside at the premises, so they were able to move a few of the cars to safe havens,” he said.

Describing the scale of the facility, Prempeh said the Odawna Garage is the largest automobile repair centre in Accra and serves as a major training ground for young mechanics.

“If you take the whole of Accra, our garage is the biggest, with over 2,000 workers, with about 1,500 of them being apprentices. So you can imagine the impact of the flood,” he said.

He noted that the apprenticeship programme provides free technical training to many young people seeking employment in the automotive industry.

“Our operations are such that we teach many of these guys for free. So we have many of them there,” he said.

Prempeh recounted how some apprentices were forced to climb onto buildings to escape the rising floodwaters as the garage became inundated.

“Some of them had to climb onto buildings just to stay safe. We didn’t record any casualties, but everything else in there is gone,” he said.

The flooding at the Odawna Garage adds to the extensive damage caused by Monday’s heavy rains, which affected thousands of residents and businesses across several parts of Accra.

Garage operators are now appealing for government support to help restore operations, warning that prolonged disruption could affect the livelihoods of thousands of workers and apprentices who depend on the facility for income and skills training.

-citinewsroom