Don't touch Achimota forest, the only 'carbon sink' in Accra - Kwesi Pratt warns

Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has vehemently opposed the distribution of lands at Achimota Forest to individuals or entities for any purpose.

Reports about the sale of Achimota Forest recently dominated the media as some documents popped up showing the Achimota Forest has been sold.

It became more apparent that the forest was sold when an Executive Instrument (E.I) 144 purportedly appended by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, stated that "effective May 1, 2022, the land on which the Forest is located shall cease to be a forest reserve".

“An Executive Instrument (E.I.) 144 gazetted on behalf of President Akufo-Addo by the Lands Minister Samuel Abdulai Jinapor indicates that effective May 1, 2022, the land on which the Forest is located shall cease to be a forest reserve.”

“The President’s action was in accordance with Section 19 of the Forest Act, 1927 (CAP. 157) which gives him the authority to declare that particular land is no longer required as a forest reserve,” parts of the E.I further said.

Also a recent leak of a Will by the former Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly called Sir John, sought to give credence to the news that the Achimota Forest is sold.

A media report suggested that Sir John, in his Will, named his children and some individuals related to him as the ones the lands should be given to forever.

In reply, the Lands Ministry debunked the allegations saying the "Ministry to inform the general public that the said document does not relate to the Achimota Forest. The said assertion/allegation is false".

Though the Lands Ministry has refuted the claims about the sale of the Achimota Forest, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. however cautions that no one touches the Forest for whatever reason.

He explained that the Achimota Forest is the only carbon sink in the capital city, therefore selling or destroying it will cause the country, particularly the Greater Accra Region, harm.

"There is only one carbon sink in Accra and that's Achimota Forest. You won't be helping us if you apportion a land in Achimota Forest for the building of a training school or hotel or anything. Nobody should touch the Achimota Forest. If you remove the Achimota Forest, there will be huge pollution in Accra," he said during a panel discussion on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme.

He added; "If we destroy Achimota Forest, the rainfall pattern in Accra will change."

"Today, the population of Accra is said to have reached between 3.5 and 4 million people. We have no single carbon sink. The only carbon sink is the Achimota Forest, so there is no justification for giving any part of the Achimota Forest to anybody; no justification whatsoever," Mr. Pratt further warned.

Carbon sink refers to a forest, ocean or other natural environment that absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.