The South Industrial Area in the Greater Accra Region, the country's historic car hub, is rapidly losing its luster and importance.
This is owing to yearly floods, which frequently damages offices and showrooms, particularly when the Odaw drain breaks its banks.
The businesses in that enclave, which borders the Graphic Road and its environs, estimate that property worth billions of Ghana cedis has been destroyed by floods in the capital over the last ten years—new and old vehicles, vehicle spare parts, office equipment and accessories, and electrical appliances are all destroyed each year after just a few hours of rain.
Many vehicle firms have been forced to close their doors or relocate to safer regions as a result of the ongoing tragedy. Apart from companies like Vodi Technics (VW and Skoda), PHC Motors (Land Rover, Range Rover, Tata, etc.) and Mechanical Lloyd (BMW, etc.) being pushed out of their core business, other giants like Silver Star and Toyota Ghana have relocated some of their operations, while new entrants prefer to set up shop on the Spintex Road, the North Industrial Area, and parts of North Kaneshie.
GNTC Motors, RT Briscoe, Yellow Cab, and SCOA were also once part of the hub, but have since collapsed or morphed into new firms.
Visit
Workers were still collecting debris from the deluge six days after the latest severe rain that pounded the capital on Tuesday, May 24 night and continued into the early hours of Wednesday, May 25 when the Daily Graphic team visited the region last Thursday, May 31, this year.
The rains left obvious imprints on the business buildings and walls in the neighborhood, either at knee or shoulder level.
Along the Kaneshie bound portion of the Graphic Road, the crew saw some employees clearing trash of sand and garbage that had taken over the gutters and working area of the Old Rana Motors building.
STC Yard, Hyundai
The Hyundai Motors dealership at the Obetsebi Lamptey junction, which is under construction, was reportedly flooded, according to the Daily Graphic.
The narrative was similar to that of the building that used to house Mechanical Lloyd across from the STC Yard entrance in South Industrial Area, after its fence was completely destroyed by the recent rains.
Intercity STC Coaches Limited, its next-door neighbor, was not spared, and other companies in the enclave are still calculating their damages over a week after the accident.
A new GOIL Filling Station near STC was also flooded, forcing it to close for the time being.
Star of Silver
The damage caused by the recent rain, according to a source at Silver Star who desired anonymity, was disastrous, as the firm's showroom and workshop were inundated.
The drain connecting the Kaneshie bound side of the Graphic Road spilled its banks, according to the source.
"Several days after the previous storm, you can still see rainwater taking part of the road in front of our showroom," the insider stated.
The insider went on to say that fast action was required to assist fix the problem in order to avoid losing all of the vehicle companies in the industrial area.