| We’ve been here before. It is déjà vu all over again.Seven years ago, Eco-Conscious Citizens launched one of its earliest campaigns to stop a multi-storey office complex from being built on land belonging to the Department of Parks and Gardens at Cantonments in Accra. That campaign ended with the proposal placed in abeyance.
Two years ago, an estate developer emerged claiming ownership of part of the same land — land acquired by the colonial government in October 1952 and allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture for a horticultural nursery. After the Department resisted attempts to occupy the site, the developer sued the Ministry of Local Government, which oversees Parks and Gardens. That case is pending.
Despite this, the Department is reported to have received seven proposals seeking to acquire portions of this prime land for concrete development. Of these, Director Dr Daniel Kingsford Adams has confirmed that the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) offered to construct “an edifice” for the Department in exchange for three acres of land.
In a meeting between management and workers, the staff flatly rejected the proposal. The Director is expected to convey this position to Jubilee House. This raises a legitimate question: why should a proposal from an independent state organisation be channelled through the Office of the President? Was this intended to exert subtle pressure on the Department’s management and workers to approve the hiving-off of yet another portion of Accra’s rapidly diminishing green space? We know that President John Dramani Mahama values the environment. Eco-Conscious Citizens Executive Director Awula Serwah was among the environmentalists who consistently called for the revocation of EI 144, which declassified parts of Achimota Forest. She raised the issue again directly with the President in late March 2026. He stated that he was not aware of that particular Executive Instrument but would look into it. By June 2026, it had been revoked. It is therefore inconceivable that the President is aware of, or has approved, any attempt by GoldBod to take land reserved for horticultural and environmental purposes — especially given his own public concern that Accra is turning into a “concrete jungle.”
Eco-Conscious Citizens made several unsuccessful attempts to obtain clarification from GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi. Should GoldBod or any arm of government proceed with this or any other proposal that prioritises concrete over green development on the Department’s land, we will stand firmly with the workers in resisting it. Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, understood the value of the environment and green spaces. He acquired land in all regional capitals to beautify the nation, conserve the environment, and develop Ghana’s horticultural potential. In 1965 he established the Ministry of Parks and Gardens under Cabinet Minister Emmanuel Nee Ocansey. After the 1966 coup, the Ministry was regrettably downgraded to a Department. Eco-Conscious Citizens stands in solidarity with Parks and Gardens workers and urges the Minister for Local Government, Hon Mahama Ayariga, to safeguard Parks and Gardens lands nationwide against encroachment and commercial development, ensuring they remain devoted solely to their intended horticultural use. We also call for the Department to be properly resourced to carry out its mandate, and for the publication of a full audit of all Parks and Gardens lands. At a time when our forests are being destroyed and our remaining green spaces are under constant pressure from developers, we cannot stand by while attempts are made to appropriate Parks and Gardens land in Accra. For background, follow the #HandsOffOurParksAndGardens hashtag. ENDS Eco-Conscious Citizens EcoConsciousCitizens@gmail.com |
