Foresters calls for protection of other urban forests following reversal of Achimota Forest declassification

The erstwhile Akufo-Addo government on April 19, 2022, through an Executive Instrument (EI) 144, designated portions of the urban forest as no longer a forest reserve.“The restoration of the Achimota Forest Reserve comes at a particularly significant time when Ghana continues to experience increasingly frequent flooding and extreme weather events, especially within Accra and other rapidly urbanising communities,” a statement from the group read.

They are calling on the government and Parliament to review all relevant legislation to ensure that any future reservation or de-reservation of a Forest Reserve is subject to Parliamentary approval, comprehensive environmental and social impact assessment, broad stakeholder and public consultation, scientific and technical evaluation, and full compliance with the constitutional principles of sustainable development and intergenerational equity.