Environmental advocacy group Eco-Conscious Citizens has urged the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) to abandon plans to use three acres of Parks and Gardens land at Cantonments in Accra for the construction of its headquarters.
In an open letter dated September 4, 2026, and addressed to the Ghana Gold Board, the group said the proposed appropriation of the land would threaten one of the few remaining green spaces in the capital and send a negative signal about the importance of environmental conservation.
The group’s Executive Director, Awula Serwah, said the land was acquired in 1952 from the Ga people for horticultural purposes and has historically been used by the Department of Parks and Gardens for cultivating and nurturing seedlings.
Eco-Conscious Citizens said it would welcome any effort by GoldBod to modernise the Parks and Gardens headquarters as part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
However, it rejected any arrangement that would involve GoldBod acquiring three acres of the Parks and Gardens land in exchange, describing such a move as a “backward step.”
“At a time when our forests are being decimated by irresponsible mining and logging, and our green spaces encroached by developers,” the group said, “it would send an extremely negative message about the value that GoldBod places on the environment.”
The group also cited the concerns of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), which, according to the letter, stated in a July 2021 communication that the original use of the land was as a horticultural nursery.
LUSPA reportedly described the site as an active green open space and public space, noting that Parks and Gardens uses it to nurture seedlings and cultivate tree species for government institutions and the public to support the planting and beautification of Accra.
Eco-Conscious Citizens further referenced remarks by the President at a Presidential Dialogue on March 30, 2026, in which he expressed concern about Accra’s transformation into a “concrete jungle.”
The group argued that constructing GoldBod’s headquarters on part of the Parks and Gardens land would be inconsistent with efforts to preserve green spaces in the capital.
It urged GoldBod to identify an alternative location for its headquarters and said it stood in solidarity with Parks and Gardens workers who are resisting the proposed appropriation of the land.
“As Ghanaians, we cannot stand idly by whilst our dwindling green spaces are misappropriated,” the group said.
The statement was signed by Ms. Serwah in her capacity as Executive Director of Eco-Conscious Citizens.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
