The coming days are expected to be decisive for TDC Ghana Ltd as it intensifies efforts to reclaim the Sakumono Ramsar Site, a vital wetland that serves as a natural buffer for stormwater before it flows into the sea.
A recent demolition exercise at the site nearly turned violent when irate youth blocked the road leading to the Klagon end of the Ramsar area.
Their goal was to stop vehicles carrying TDC officials, journalists, and taskforce personnel from leaving.
It took heavily armed military personnel firing warning shots into the air to clear the road and allow passage for an excavator and support vehicles.
TDC says previous engagements and verbal warnings have yielded minimal results, leaving force as the only remaining option to address the growing encroachment.
The move, however, is facing stiff resistance from traditional authorities in Nungua, youth groups, and others benefiting from the illegal developments.
Speaking to Joy News after supervising the pulling down of unauthorised structures and fence walls at Klagon in the Tema West Municipality, TDC Managing Director Courage Nunekpeku made his stance clear.
“The Ramsar site has been entirely encroached. As someone responsible for this area, I can’t just throw my hands in the air. The president has put me here to perform this duty, and I have to deliver,” he asserted.
One of the most striking discoveries during the exercise was a several-meter-long wall connecting Klagon to Tema Community 10.
This wall, TDC warned, could obstruct upstream water flow, leading to flooding in Klagon, Tema, and Ashaiman.
“After earlier consensus, those within the buffer zone may be spared, but the core area is a no-go zone. These encroachers work day and night. This exercise is to send a signal, and the next one will be massive—they’re adamant,” Mr. Nunekpeku warned.
TDC is calling on all persons behind the Klagon structures to suspend activities immediately until the traditional leaders who sold the land meet with TDC.
The agency insists no permits have been issued by TDC, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, or the Tema West Municipal Assembly.
“I visited the palaces at Nungua, Kpone, and Tema to show respect. We expect them to reciprocate,” he added.
Nunekpeku also criticised the formation of a group called the “Ramsar Site To Be Regularised Association.”
“How can you encroach on a Ramsar site and form such an association expecting TDC to recognise you?” he questioned.
Representing the Nungua Traditional Council, Borkwei–We Dzaasetsɛ, Nii Otsedzen Ashong II, assured the TDC team that the issue would be conveyed to the Paramountcy. “We began processing documentation under the previous government but couldn’t finalise it. We’re ready to comply with any directive from TDC to ensure flood prevention,” he said.
The TDC team later moved to Tema Community 10, where a private developer had filled part of the Ramsar area and begun construction despite prior warnings.
“This is a waterlogged area, but the developer is filling it up, narrowing and blocking the waterway. What is happening here is a big threat to the entire community,” Nunekpeku stated.
The fence wall erected as part of the illegal project was pulled down, and relatives of the developer were instructed to halt the project and remove the heaps of laterite used in the filling.
