The government has explained that the high amount of monetary compensation needed for land influenced the decision to return the peripherals of the Achimota Forest to the Owoo Family, the allodial owners of the land.
The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Lands and Forestry, Benito Owusu-Bio, who made the clarification, said the return of the peripheral portions of the Achimota Forest to the original owners, in lieu of compensation, was right “because, on humanitarian grounds, the Owoo Family deserves something”.
“In terms of compensation, they can demand payment in cash or land in lieu. But, then, let us cast our minds back: some years ago, the value of the land we are talking about was not too much.
“Now, how much do you think will be the value of an acre of land at Achimota? And we are talking about hundreds of acres for which we have to pay them huge sums of money,” he explained.
Mr Owusu-Bio gave the explanation during a working visit to the Achimota Forest yesterday.
With the deputy minister were the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey, and the Technical Advisor on Forestry at the Lands and Natural Resources Ministry, Joseph Osiakwan.
Mr Allotey took the team to some parts of the Achimota Forest and gave an assurance that everything possible would be done to protect the forest from destruction.