The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Director of Conflict Resolution, Abraham Amaliba, has intimated that the government’s determination to reclassify the Achimota Forest leads him to a firm conclusion that the colonial masters loved Ghana more than we do now.
Amaliba explained that it is difficult to phantom how the Achimota Forest was zoned to serve as a green space by the colonial masters, only to now be depleted by Ghana’s leaders.
He told Selorm Adonoo on The Big Issue on Channel One TV that the forest was zoned to serve as a reservoir for rainwater that travels downhill from Aburi but all that is fast fading away and giving way to development, putting the city of Accra at risk of flooding.
“Sometimes, I come to the firm conclusion that the colonial masters loved this country more than ourselves because this site [the Achimota Forest] was zoned by the colonial masters. They knew that in a city such as Accra, you would need a forest reserve. They knew the role that a forest reserve would play.
“All the water that comes from the hill in Aburi is collected by the Achimota Forest and you can imagine if that forest is not there. Accra is a low-lying area and we have a hill at Aburi and it is the Achimota Forest that collects all that water that comes from the hill.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo issued E.I. 144 to reclassify the Achimota forest which has attracted widespread condemnation.
E.I. 144 is in relation to 361 acres of Achimota forest that the government is returning to its custodial owners, the Owoo family.
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spam, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital
