The Coordinator for Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has issued an urgent call for sweeping environmental reforms, declaring that Ghana stands on the brink of ecological collapse.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on Friday, June 6, she reiterated the immediate revocation of the current Legislative Instrument (LI) governing natural resource protection, describing it as “not fit for purpose.”
“The situation is dire, and we need robust action,” Serwah said. “We need the whole LI revoked, and then there are other demands. We had asked for a state of emergency.”
Her comments come after Joy News investigations uncovered the construction of a fuel supply point in a protected forest reserve in the Akomfre community, sparking outrage among environmental advocates and state officials.
According to official sources, the unauthorised fuel depot was being set up to supply earth-moving machinery actively involved in the indiscriminate destruction of forest cover in the area, reportedly in a desperate search for gold.
She criticised what she termed a scattergun approach to enforcement, where authorities move from one hotspot to another without a coherent long-term strategy.
“We cannot today go to one forest reserve, find some fuel station there and arrest people. Tomorrow run to another forest reserve. The situation is dire, and we need to have robust action taken,” she said.
Serwah called for a targeted state of emergency to be declared over all forest reserves and water bodies, accompanied by a clear order for all persons to vacate these zones.
“Ask everybody to leave our forest reserves and water bodies so that when the military comes there and finds you, there is no excuse whatsoever — you were asked to leave, and you chose to remain,” she said.
She also called for a depoliticised national response, insisting that environmental protection should not be subject to political interests or interference.
“What we need is political will. No political interference. Nobody is saying we go in Rambo-style and clear everything in a day. But we need to have a proper plan,” she emphasised.
Serwah declared that “there is a complete rake of compliance” across institutions charged with protecting the nation’s natural resources.
She accused duty bearers of failing to enforce existing laws and regulations, thereby enabling the destruction of forests, water bodies, and farmlands to continue with impunity.
“There is a complete rake of compliance. Duty bearers are failing to enforce laws and regulations. If we decide today to deploy the armed forces, declare a state of emergency, and ensure there’s no political interference — it doesn’t matter where the axe falls — we can bring this crisis under control.”
Otherwise, she warned, the country would continue on a destructive path.
“If we continue as we are, I’m afraid we’ll be here until the house burns completely. We are on the verge of catastrophe. Our water bodies are being poisoned, our food is being compromised, our forest reserves are being completely destroyed — and now existential terrorists are taking over parts of our reserves,” she concluded.
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