Injunction against Empire Cement struck out by Accra High Court

The Accra High Court has struck out the case, in which the McCarthy Hill Residents Association, was seeking to stop the construction of Empire Cement Ghana Limited, under the One District One Factory (1D1F) project.

The court, presided over by Justice Joseph Adu Owusu Agyemang, awarded GHC5,000 cost against the association after lawyers for the association, represented by Anthony Forson Jnr., served notice to discontinue the case.

The association went to court in August 2021, over concerns of air pollution when construction activities of the factory started.

On Tuesday, September 7, 2021, the court ordered management of the company to stop construction until a determination of the matter.

A group from Tetegu, a community near the McCarthy Hill area, who filed a joinder later withdrew its application.

The association earlier, this year, raised environmental and health threats concerning the project.

At a press conference on October 13, assembly members in the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly (WGMA) kicked against the move to stop construction activities.

According to them, the factory which was about 85 percent complete, was under government’s flagship programme, "1D1F” policy and did not understand why it was closed down by the Environmental protection Agency (EPA), and called on government to investigate the EPA.

When completed, the assembly members said the factory had the capacity to create about 13,000 direct and indirect jobs for the youth in the area.

They said managers of the factory had assured residents that it would use environmentally friendly technology to prevent air pollution.

Meanwhile, counsels for the factory, led by Paul U. Dery, told journalists after court proceedings that they were happy with the ruling, but said the injunction had caused “extreme damage” to the factory.