The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Akweley Ocloo, on Wednesday, March 12, led a demolition exercise targeting ongoing structures at the Tema Ramsar site.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and National Security, aimed to reclaim the ecologically sensitive land from encroachers.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, the Shai-Osudoku Member of Parliament (MP) revealed that about 90% of the Ramsar lands have been encroached upon.
She emphasized that the demolition forms part of broader efforts to protect the site.
“This exercise will continue to ensure the land is preserved for its intended purpose. Encroachers have disregarded several warnings to stay away, and we must protect the inner core of what is left. That is why we are here, and we are doing this ahead of the rainy season,” she stated.
This is not the first demolition at the Ramsar site, yet illegal construction continues to threaten its existence.
During his tenure, immediate-past Regional Minister Daniel Titus-Glover declared all Ramsar sites within Tema Metropolitan, Tema West Municipal, Ablekuma West Municipal, and Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assemblies as security zones. However, his efforts did not yield much success.
Madam Ocloo has pledged that the current operation will not be a one-off event, stressing her commitment to safeguarding the site.
“We are not going to compromise. We will not look at any human face; we have to do the job and protect the country,” she warned.
She disclosed that similar demolitions would take place at other Ramsar sites in Accra, including Sakumono, Ashaiman, and Dansoman.
She also directed affected developers with grievances to take them up with the TDC, noting that structures built in waterways have significantly contributed to perennial flooding in the municipality.