By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
The Ghana Environmental Advocacy Group has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to do everything in his power to maintain and preserve the integrity of the entirety of Achimota Forest Reserve.
The group has also asked the President to withdraw the Executive Instrument (EI) that he signed on the Achimota Forest.
Ghana-Environmental-Advocacy-Group-Statement
“We at the Ghana Environmental Advocacy Group join fellow Ghanaians and urge the President to rescind the said Executive Instrument 144, explore alternative means of compensating the original owners of the land and do everything in his power to maintain and preserve the integrity of the entirety of Achimota Forest Reserve.
Portions of the Achimota Forest will no longer be part of the forest reserve.
This comes after President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo signed an EI to declassify portions of the reserve.
“The District Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority with jurisdiction over the land specified in the schedule, shall, within three months after the coming into force of this instrument, prepare for the approval of the Minister of Lands, a master plan for the development of the land specified in the schedule,” the document said.
The development created controversy on social media with some indicating the forest reserve has been sold.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor dismissed reports that the Forest reserve in Accra has been sold.
He said the natural resource was not for sale and would not be sold.
But the group that opposed the EI said “We would like to remind Mr. President that forest reserves are not only helping us by being the lungs of our country and preserving critical flora and fauna for current and future generations, but they are also becoming good money earners as participants in carbon credit exchanges.
