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Temper justice with mercy …European Town squatters appeal to STMA
● Inset: Mr Ansah in an interview with journalist
The occupants of illegal structures along the rail line at European Town, Sekondi, in the Western Region, have pleaded with city authorities to “temper justice with mercy” and give them time to prepare and leave the pleace.
Last week, Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), in media notice announced it would demolish the illegal structures dotted along the rail line, near the train station, but, there was ‘no show.’
A source explained to The Spectator that, in accordance with the Assembly’s Bye laws, they should have given the occupants two weeks before commencing the exercise, adding” we’ll be back next week.”
The worried occupants, however, complained about the timing and appealed to the authorities to sympathise with them and extend the period for the exercise.
“We are ready to leave but the timing is too short, we know we need development, however, they should give us up to Christmas or January, by which time we would have got a place to relocate. That’s our plea,” Johannes Ansah, an opinion leader told The Spectator.
He said, a chief at the Sekondi Palace was trying to help them find a place to relocate and so needed more time to put their belongings in order before leaving the area.
STMA, Mr Ansah said, should bear with the occupants who, he noted, were ‘going through hell especially in this economic recession.”
“It’s not easy at all to cope with this unfortunate situation we find ourselves. People are trying to make ends meet and then you come and say clear-off like that, we are self-employed and decent people and it’s not easy to rent a house,” he added.
Mr Ansah claimed that STMA collected temporary business operating permit from businesses in the area and also they paid bills to utility companies.
The opinion leader said that prior to the notice for demolition, ECG had removed about 500 meters from the area thereby grounding the fridges used by fishermen and fishmongers to store fish for sale.
European Town, he argued, hosted Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), home of Paa Grant, Western Naval Command, and attracted fishermen from Kpone, Accra and Winneba areas including barbers, hair dressers, and, therefore, “was a huge commercial hub of Sekondi.”
The fishermen, for example, he complained, had no money to rent rooms in Sekondi for their work, so they needed the temporary structures to lay their heads.
He spoke about the smoking of Indian hemp and other criminal activities such as prostitution, and said the security agencies should deal with such matters.
One woman also accused the indigenes of encouraging the illicit trade in the area.
“The Ashawoo is done by Ghanaians: the foreigners couldn’t have been here without involvement of Ghanaians. We have lived here for almost 30 years and some of us have contracted loans for fishing business, how do we pay the monies back?” distraught woman, Essaba complained.
She told The Spectator she paid GHc600 a year to rent a structure.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, SEKONDI
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Youth urged to take proactive stance on ozone depletion
•Mr Joseph Amankwah, first counting from, some officials from EPA and UNDP in group picture with the student
Mr Joseph Amankwah, the Director of Ozone Layer and Climate Change at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has urged the youth to take a proactive stance on issues related to ozone depletion, emphasising that their future would be most affected by its consequences.
Speaking during a student engagement event at the Ghana Secondary School (GHANASS) in Koforidua, he highlighted the critical role young people played in tackling climate-related challenges.
Mr Amankwah explained that human activities, such as the use of certain chemicals, were significantly contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer and driving climate change.
He said it was important to educate the youth on these issues, encouraging them to share this knowledge with their families to foster a broader understanding and active participation in climate action.
He urged the education sector to integrate lessons on the ozone layer, the causes of its depletion, and its links to climate change into the curriculum.
The event, organised by the EPA in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was designed to foster environmental awareness and promote a sense of responsibility among young people.
Mr Amankwah noted that ozone layer depletion was affecting everyone, including children, as it alters weather patterns and threatens the natural environment.
He highlighted the need for young people to develop ‘green skills’ to adapt to the challenges of climate change and to understand ways to combat it.
He added that World Ozone Day, observed every September, would focus on youth engagement in environmental issues, to help them understand the long-term consequences of ozone depletion and climate change.
Mr Amankwah also discussed the harmful impact of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a major chemical contributor to ozone depletion.
He explained that household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners were common sources of CFC emissions in Ghana.
Many uncertified technicians work on these appliances, often releasing harmful chemicals into the atmosphere due to improper handling, he noted.
To address this, he urged appliance repairers to obtain proper certification and training, emphasising that unqualified repairs not only harm the environment but also endangered public health.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman,
Koforidua
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Small-scale miners schooled on health hazards of mining with mercury
Mr Lovelace Sarpong (right) addressing the participants
Some Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners in the Ashanti and Central regions have been sensitised on the potential health dangers humans are exposed to with the use of mercury in gold processing.
The sensitisation which was organised by PlanetGOLD Ghana project was to raise awareness about the negative impacts on the use of mercury in mining activities.
According to the PlanetGOLD Ghana Project Coordinator, Mr Lovelace Sarpong, the use of mercury in artisanal small-scale mining pose health challenges that affects the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys; and may be fatal.
Some Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) that benefited from the exercise were Amansie Central, Asante Akim North, Amansie South, Amansie West, Bekwai, and Adansi North in the Ashanti Region, and Upper Denkyira East (Dunkwa-on-Offin) and Upper Denkyira West (Diaso) in the Central Region.
Additionally, he said inorganic salts of mercury were corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested.
He stated that the PlanetGOLD Project has conducted several initiatives to raise awareness on reducing mercury exposure among artisanal and small-scale gold mining actors in the country.
It was to promote mercury-free mining practices in line with Ghana’s obligations under the Minamata Convention on Mercury, support the formalisation of the ASGM sector while advocating the adoption of the CRAFT Code and responsible supply chains, and raise awareness on the availability of mercury-free alternatives.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Area Head for Konongo, Mr Dawood Abbas, underscored the importance of government’s environmental regulations and EPA’s role in ensuring compliance within the ASGM sector.
He encouraged miners to prioritise environmental stewardship to gain community trust and secure a Social License to Operate (SLO) and reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to enforce its commitments under the Minamata Convention.
BY Cecilia Lagba Yada
