Government has directed the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) to begin the ecological restoration of sections of the Kpeshie Lagoon reclaimed after recent demolition exercises targeting illegal structures along the wetland.
Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe, gave the directive during an inspection at Laboma, where government’s Post-Flood Mitigation Task Force has been clearing encroachments and restoring the lagoon as part of measures to reduce flooding in Accra.
The restoration programme will be undertaken in collaboration with the Forestry Commission and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), with plans to reintroduce coconut and other suitable vegetation to the reclaimed areas and provide the necessary environmental safeguards.
The directive follows a series of demolition and flood mitigation operations by the Greater Accra authorities and government taskforce to remove structures and other forms of encroachment from waterways, wetlands and flood retention areas.
In January, the Greater Accra Regional Security Council, National Security and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) demolished temporary structures along the Kpeshie Lagoon after repeated notices to occupants. Authorities said the exercise was necessary to prevent further sand filling of the lagoon, which contributes to flooding.
The Kpeshie area was subsequently incorporated into the government’s wider post-flood mitigation programme following the June 2026 floods, with military engineers undertaking dredging and other works to restore the lagoon’s water-holding and drainage capacity.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, also issued a 21-day ultimatum in August to occupants and property owners encroaching on the lagoon’s buffer zone at Laboma to vacate or remove their structures, warning that further demolitions would follow.
Mr Dogbe said the latest intervention must go beyond demolition and clearance, stressing the need to return the reclaimed sections to their natural state.
The objective, he said, is to restore the lagoon’s ecological function, strengthen its capacity to retain floodwaters and prevent renewed encroachment.
The Kpeshie Lagoon has suffered years of sand filling, waste dumping and development within its natural basin, reducing its capacity to hold and channel stormwater. Recent government operations have therefore combined demolition, dredging and removal of dumped materials as part of a broader effort to restore critical flood-control infrastructure across Greater Accra.
The restoration phase is expected to involve the removal of demolition debris, vegetation planting and continued protection of the reclaimed buffer areas to ensure that the lagoon does not become a target for renewed encroachment.
Source: www.kumasimail.coom
