Dodowa: Traditional leaders, environmentalists, climate advocates, and residents of Dodowa and Shai (Se) have called for an immediate halt to the clearing of part of the Dodowa Forest for a temporary market. The proposed interim market is intended to accommodate traders during the redevelopment of the Dodowa Market into a 24-hour economic hub.
According to Ghana News Agency, while residents acknowledge the economic benefits of the project, they insist it must not come at the cost of a forest they say represents over 200 years of cultural, historical, and environmental heritage. Mr. Bright Adjartey Apperkon, spokesperson for the Apperkon Family, which owns a significant portion of the market land, confirmed that clearing activities had already begun. He alleged that Madam Linda Akweley Ocloo, the Member of Parliament for Shai-Osudoku and Greater Accra Regional Minister, directed that part of the forest be used as a temporary market site.
Mr. Apperkon noted that the Dodowa Forest, once spanning about 320 acres, has already been reduced to a few acres due to encroachment. He described it as the historic battleground of the Katamanso War (1824-1826), where allied Ga-Dangbe and coastal tribes defeated the Ashanti forces. He also recalled that under former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, encroachers were removed, trees planted, and the forest declared a security zone.
Mr. Renner Awatey Kwesi Noah, a royal of the late Nene Bana Atrokpa I's Lineage, described the forest as the spiritual and cultural backbone of the Shai people. He expressed support for development but warned that converting the site into a market would lead to sanitation and environmental degradation.
Dr. Gloria Djaney Djagbletey, former Principal Research Scientist at the CSIR-Forestry Research Institute, emphasized the ecological value of the forest. She outlined the forest's roles in providing food, medicinal resources, acting as a windbreak, supporting biodiversity, enhancing rainfall, filtering water, preventing erosion, and reducing pollution.
Rev. Jonathan Obour-Wiredu, Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, also warned of environmental consequences, highlighting the forest's role in creating beneficial microclimatic conditions. He emphasized the limited control the Forestry Commission has over community-owned forests like Dodowa, stressing the importance of local stewardship.