July 2026
The Human Environment and Livelihood Platform Foundation (HELP Foundation Africa) warmly commends the Government of the Republic of Ghana, led by H.E. President John Dramani Mahama, and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, for the bold and visionary decision to revoke Executive Instrument (E.I.) 144 and restore the Achimota Forest to its full status as a protected Forest Reserve.
This landmark decision represents a major victory for environmental conservation, sustainable natural resource governance, climate resilience, and the protection of Ghana’s natural heritage. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to balancing development with environmental stewardship and safeguarding critical ecosystems for present and future generations.
Achimota Forest is not merely a tract of land; it is Ghana’s most important urban forest and the only gazetted forest reserve within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area. For decades, it has served as an ecological lifeline by improving air quality, reducing urban temperatures, mitigating flood risks, conserving biodiversity, storing carbon, and providing opportunities for environmental education, recreation, and scientific research.
The revocation of E.I. 144 restores public confidence in Ghana’s environmental governance and reinforces the constitutional obligation to protect the country’s natural resources in the national interest. It also sends a strong signal that forests and other protected ecosystems are invaluable national assets whose long-term ecological, social, and economic benefits far outweigh short-term land-use interests.
HELP Foundation Africa particularly applauds the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources for his leadership, commitment, and responsiveness to the concerns consistently raised by civil society organizations, professional institutions, traditional authorities, environmental experts, and citizens regarding the ecological significance of the Achimota Forest.
The Foundation further recognizes the sustained advocacy and contributions of environmental organizations, community groups, the Forestry Commission, the Ghana Institute of Foresters, the Ghana Institute of Planners, academia, the media, and all citizens whose collective efforts helped keep the Achimota Forest on the national agenda and demonstrated the power of constructive civic engagement in advancing environmental justice.
A Call for the Next Phase of Forest Protection
While celebrating this historic achievement, HELP Foundation Africa urges the Government to build upon this momentum by:
- Providing permanent and irreversible legal protection for the entire Achimota Forest Reserve.
- Developing and implementing a comprehensive Achimota Forest Management and Restoration Plan.
- Restoring degraded sections of the forest through indigenous tree planting and ecological rehabilitation.
- Strengthening enforcement against encroachment, illegal development, and activities that threaten the forest’s ecological integrity.
- Promoting Achimota Forest as a flagship Urban Ecological Park for conservation, recreation, environmental education, climate adaptation, and sustainable ecotourism.
- Increasing investment in urban forestry and integrating green infrastructure into national and metropolitan development planning.
- Expanding protection and restoration efforts to other threatened forest reserves and critical ecosystems across Ghana.
Commitment of HELP Foundation Africa
HELP Foundation Africa reaffirms its commitment to working collaboratively with Government, the Forestry Commission, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, development partners, traditional authorities, civil society organizations, academia, and local communities to promote sustainable forest governance, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and community participation in natural resource management.
The restoration of the Achimota Forest Reserve should serve as a defining moment in Ghana’s environmental history and as a model for protecting other ecologically important landscapes across the country.
Together, we can build a greener, healthier, more climate-resilient Ghana where economic development and environmental sustainability advance hand in hand.
“Protecting Nature, Empowering Communities, Securing the Future.”
Signed
Kwadwo Kyei Yamoah
Executive Director
Human Environment and Livelihood Platform Foundation (HELP Foundation Africa)
Email: info@helpfoundationafrica.org
Website: www.helpfoundationafrica.org
Tel: +233 244 817020 | +233 59 806 9009
