Construction of a petrol station on Parks and Gardens land in Wa, inthe Upper West Region

Ghana's visionary first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, set up the Ministry of Parks and Gardens for a number of reasons including the beautification of Ghana and conservation.

He placed so much importance on green spaces that he appointed a Cabinet Minister, Hon. Nee Ocansey to head the Ministry of Parks and Gardens.

Parks and Gardens were set up across Ghana "to facilitate the rapid development of the horticultural potential of Ghana for the benefit of her people through public education, effective beautification and conservation."

The vision is for a “Healthy and beautiful horticultural environment for the Ghanaian Society.”

It is therefore of grave concern that a petrol station is being built on Parks and Gardens land in Wa, in the Upper West Region.

At a time when there is Climate Change and desertification, it is unbelievable that instead of greening more areas in Ghana, a petrol station is being built on Parks and Gardens land in Wa.

This flies in the face of the vision and mission of Parks and Gardens and makes a mockery of the Green Ghana Initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Eco-Conscious Citizens Call for:
1) The purported lease of Parks and Gardens land in Wa, for a petrol station to be set aside, and for a public enquiry into the said lease.

2) An investigation into whether Parliament approved a rezoning of the Green Space for the construction of a petrol station.

3) An audit of Parks and Gardens lands across Ghana.

It will be recalled that there was an attempt a few years ago to build a multi-storey office building on Parks and Gardens land in Accra which was successfully resisted by Eco-Conscious Citizens and concerned citizens.

Ironically, the motto of the Department of
Parks and Gardens, Accra states:
Help increase the
awareness of the general public to
the truism that says:
No place is
complete without trees
A house without
trees is charmless
A park without trees is purposeless
A country without trees is hopeless
What should I do?
Plant a tree today
Awula Serwah
Eco-Conscious Citizens Coordinator
[email protected]