Photos: Bunso canopy walkway after it collapsed

The Bunso Arboretum Canopy Walkway which collapsed on July 1, resulting in dozens being injured, has been closed to the public.

The once vibrant tourist attraction is to remain closed until such a time when revelers can be assured of their safety, officials at the facility say.

Twenty young adults between the ages of fourteen and twenty-three years were involved in the accident and sustained various degrees of injuries.

One of the victims is in critical condition at an unknown hospital in Koforidua with sixteen others said to be receiving treatment at the Osiem Power Memorial Hospital.

The remaining three are also receiving treatment at the Tafo Government Hospital.

The accident is said to have happened when one of the hooks at the extreme ends of the walkway untethered.

Started in 2014 as part of the Bunso Arboretum Ecotourism Centre it is situated about 165km from Accra and about 3km from the Bonsu junction from the Accra-Kumasi road. It takes a 30 minutes’ drive from the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua, and is sited close to the Seed Production Unit of the Ghana Cocoa Board.

Until recently, the centre was managed by the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (PGRRI) of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and has been the habitat of over 300 butterfly species, 600 tropical trees and over 110 birds, some which are rare according to its handlers.

It is owned by businessman, Kenneth Akuffo Asare, who was also involved with the Kakum canopy walkway in the Central Region.The 320-metre walkway has five bridges and six platforms.

The 40-acre forest reserve that hosts the facility belongs to the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council who leased it to a mining firm in the twentieth century.
It was however given to another local company known as African Products Department for rubber and cocoa plantations in 1917.

It’s management was subsequently overtaken by two British nationals David Gillet and Frank Thompson who built a guest house in 1935. The guesthouse now serves as the official residence for the Vice Chancellor of the University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies.

The facility was acquired by the Plant Genetic Resource and Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 1946. They are current managers of the facility.

A popular tourist attraction, it records close to 6000 visitors on a good day. Ghana is the only country in Africa to have two of such facilities.