Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Ocloo has urged affected residents to refrain from settling on the Ramsar Site at Lashibi, emphasizing that the demolition exercise is necessary to preserve the protected area and prevent future conflict.
“Looking at the properties that have been destroyed, I mean, I empathise with them,” she said while addressing the media after the operation as monitored by MyNewsGH. “But I also, like I also said, they should be able to stay off the Ramsar site and so that we can be free.”
The demolition, carried out with support from the military, police, and local authorities, targeted unauthorized structures built within the Ramsar reserve. Minister Ocloo commended the collaborative efforts behind the exercise.
“Today has been a wonderful day, and let me also thank our military, police, everybody who contributed to this exercise, and also the media as well,” she noted. “It doesn’t mean that we’ve ended because you can also see there are lots of buildings that we need to demolish.”
She further appealed to local traditional authorities to assist in resolving land issues: “Let me also talk, plead with the Achis, and so if there’s a need for them to relocate the lands for the owners, they should do so, so that we all have our peace to live in the country peacefully.”
