Ahanta West District wants government policy on land

Participants from Ahanta West District in the Western Region attending a workshop in Accra on Ghana's oil production, have called on government to come out with a clear policy on the acquisition and usage of lands in the area.

They claim that the government had given portions of Ahanta lands to the Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL), mining companies for surface mining and oil companies for infrastructural development.

The participants made the call on Monday at Tema during the opening of a two-day capacity development workshop for communities likely to be affected by the oil production in the Western Region.

The workshop organized by the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), was attended by 57 participants drawn from Ahanta West, Ellembele, Jomoro, Nzema East, and Shama Districts all in the Western Region.

Mr Joseph Daniel Dadson, a spokesperson for the participants, said apart from creating tension, which could lead to clashes in the area, the situation could also deprive the farming communities of their livelihood.

According to him, the leasing of their lands to the rubber, mining and oil companies have prevented the people from expanding their communities, thus, leading to the situation where people construct their houses in swampy areas of the district.