By Alex Boye
The Takporm Family of Dodowa in the Shai-Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region, has commended the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Titus Nii Kwatei Glover for leading the Regional Security council to demolish unauthorized structures in the Dodowa forest.
According to the family, the exercise undertaken by the regional minister will bring sanity and help protect the forest reserve.
The Spokesperson of the family, Emmanuel Madji said, “the family members of the Takporm, Wonukpekple, Kyikyikra and Okpongya are very excited over the effort by government to reclaim the forest.”
The Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGSEC) on Friday demolished unauthorized structures on portions of the degraded Dodowa forest, following its declaration as a security zone.
The decision was made in response to concerns raised by the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs regarding the escalating encroachment of the forest by private developers.
In a collaborative effort with the Forestry Commission, REGSEC undertook a tree-planting exercise after the demolition to restore the affected areas of the forest.
Speaking to journalists, The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Titus Glover, elaborated
on the initiative.
“We declared the Dodowa forest and Katamanso Pinkwai forests as a security zone. These are two landmark forests in Ga-dangbe history. So we are here to regain our forest with the support of the forestry commission, they have given us some trees that we are coming to plant, then DCE and some students around to do the planting.”
“I have got documents from the regional house of chiefs that state that this land is for the Shai people. We told them that if they have documents, bring them to the RCC. As we speak, nobody has brought us any document apart from what the registrar brought to us from the Regional House of Chiefs.”
So we are here to do two things. We break this wall and plant the trees back. This place is a security zone, we are regaining our forest back. Mr. Madji called on the good people of Dodowa to welcome the government’s efforts in protecting the forest, which was then serving as a tourist site.