Achimota forest has not been sold

Inusah Fuseni confirms

Government has debunked claims in some sections of the media that it has sold the Achimota Forest Reserve [Accra Eco-Park] to a private company.

Briefing newsmen in Accra, the Sector Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Inusah Fuseini said Government placed much emphasis on the development of the Reserve into a tourism attraction center.

He added that the NDC Government is committed to fulfilling its manifesto promise to reinforce the protect ion and development of national parks, forests and other wildlife protected areas to sustain biodiversity, research, education, recreation and eco-tourism.

‘’ The Government will therefore not go against its own manifesto promises to destroy the Achimota Forest, but will do everything possible to ensure its long-term conservation and sustainable use for the benefit of all Ghanaians’’ he said.

He bemoans the current status of the Achimota Forest which since its establishment in 1930 has not seen any development agenda and as a result the large chunk of the Forest has been lost to encroachers’. He mentioned that building encroachments and other unauthorized developments have taken heavy toll on the forest area.

‘’The Forest is still under serious threat from encroachers and unless some drastic measures are taken to save the rest of the forest, it might disappear in the next few years and that this NDC Government cannot afford to let the Forest to disappear’’ he cautioned.

As part of interventions to rescue the Forest from further destruction, Government since 2009 has put in more efforts through the Forestry Commission which has the mandate to maintain and develop Forests and Wildlife resources in the country.

The Commission‘s new Board therefore committed itself to reverse the ‘’ sorry’’ trend or state of not only the Achimota Forest but all wildlife resources as well as the promotion of ecotourism in Ghana.

Pursuant to the commitment, a number of protected areas and forest reserves were selected for ecotourism development. He mentioned the Achimota Forest, Cape Three Points Forest Reserve, Shai-Hills Resorce Reserve and the Ankasa Conservation Area as some of the selected forest reserves for development.

Other interventions put in place to search for success stories for the Forest and other wildlife resources include a fact finding mission to Kenya’s Nairobi National Park, stakeholder consultation to solicit professional inputs , Ministerial briefing and proposal development led by the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission to propose development of the Achimota Forest into the Accra Eco-Park.

The proposal outlined the development of safari walks, eco-lodges, game viewing points, religious enclaves, cultural village, orchards and visitor reception amongst others as part of the Eco- Park. ‘’ All these were designed to ensure that the ecological integrity of the forest is not compromised’’.

He explained that to ensure that all the interventions were environmentally friendly, Environmental Impact Assessment [IEA] would be carried out before the various developments are carried out and as such both the Environmental Protection Agency[EPA] and the Ghana Tourist Authority[GTA] were part of the planning process.

The proposed Accra Eco-Park Project, the Minister said has enormous potential to bring lots of benefit to many Ghanaians in general and residents of the city of Accra.

The Project will also save the Forest from further encroachment, create jobs, provide private sector with major investment opportunities in terms of the development of the ecotourism infrastructure as well as generates a huge source of revenue to government without compromising the ecological integrity of the forest reserve.

Alhaji Inusah Fuseni called on all Ghanaians, the media in particular to partner the Government in its bid to create necessary awareness and educate the public on the importance and benefits of the Accra Eco-Park.