The ecological situation is dire and we need robust action - Awula Serwah

Awula Serwah, the Coordinator for Eco-Conscious Citizens, has made an urgent plea for environmental reforms. She warns that Ghana is close to ecological collapse.

On June 6, during the JoyNews AM Show, she called for the revocation of the current Legislative Instrument (LI) on natural resource protection. She described it as “not fit for purpose.”

“The situation is dire, and we need robust action,” Serwah stated. She emphasized that the entire LI should be revoked and mentioned other demands. They have also requested a state of emergency.

Her remarks followed Joy News investigations revealing a fuel supply point in a protected forest reserve in Akomfre. This discovery sparked outrage among environmental advocates and officials.

Sources indicate that this unauthorized fuel depot was intended to supply machinery destroying forest cover in search of gold.

Serwah criticized the inconsistent enforcement approach by authorities. She noted they move from one hotspot to another without a long-term strategy.

“We cannot just go from one forest reserve to another,” she said. “The situation is dire, and we need robust action.”

She urged for a targeted state of emergency over all forest reserves and water bodies. This would include an order for everyone to vacate these areas.

“Ask everybody to leave our forest reserves,” she insisted. “If military personnel find you there, you have no excuse.”

Serwah also called for a national response free from political influence. Environmental protection should not be subject to political interests or interference.

“What we need is political will with no interference,” she emphasized. “We need a proper plan.”

She declared there is widespread non-compliance among institutions responsible for protecting natural resources. Duty bearers are failing to enforce laws, allowing destruction to continue unchecked.

“There is complete non-compliance,” she stated firmly. If armed forces are deployed and a state of emergency declared, change can happen.

Otherwise, she warned that Ghana would remain on a destructive path.

“If we continue as we are, I fear we’ll face catastrophe,” she concluded. “Our water bodies are poisoned, food compromised, forests destroyed—existential threats are taking over.”