Accra, Ghana – May 20, 2025 — Environmental watchdog, A Rocha Ghana, has issued a stern warning against the ongoing felling of trees along the Atomic-Kwabenya Highway, urging the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) to immediately stop what it described as an environmentally harmful and shortsighted practice.
In a strongly worded statement released on Tuesday, A Rocha Ghana condemned the tree removals as “indiscriminate” and highlighted the alarming consequences of continued deforestation in the area, including loss of biodiversity, urban heat intensification, and long-term ecological degradation.
“The felling of trees along the Atomic-Kwabenya highway must cease immediately. A clear, enforceable plan for replanting and maintaining green cover is essential,” the group stated.
Deforestation Undermining Sustainability
A Rocha stressed that sustainable urban development should not come at the cost of the environment. The organization called for a replanting policy requiring that each tree cut down be replaced with two or more native species, with strict monitoring to ensure their survival.
They also emphasized the need for a balanced approach to infrastructure growth—one that safeguards urban green spaces while allowing for modern development.
Questionable Land Use Near GAEC
The group cited a controversial incident from 2024 in which two trees were felled near the Maker’s House Chapel, allegedly to make way for a fuel station within a sensitive wetland zone between the Atomic Police Station and the GAEC entrance.
“This development is very unfortunate and needless,” the statement read. “Urban Roads had to pause construction works after public outcry to redesign the road to protect the trees. Now that the plan is set, other agents are going in to deliberately destroy the trees gradually. This is environmental sabotage and shameful.”
Call for Urban Forestry Reform
A Rocha Ghana also criticised what it described as a “lazy approach” to urban forestry, where trees are too often destroyed at the slightest risk without serious consideration of alternative preservation methods.
“The health of city residents and the ecological resilience of our urban spaces depend on proactive and progressive forest management. We must act now to prevent further environmental harm,” the group concluded.
The organization is calling on government bodies, including GAEC, Urban Roads, the Forestry Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to intervene and prioritise environmental integrity in all ongoing and future development along the highway.
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