Nana Kwesi Agyeman (middle) and other chiefs of the association
Chiefs who own the land on which the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) operates in the Western Region have condemned the sudden trend of forceful takeover of GREL lands by some recalcitrant persons under the guise of community expansion but use the land for illegal mining activities.
GREL is a rubber processing company in the Ahanta West Municipality of the region.
The chiefs, who have formed a group known as ‘Chiefs on whose Land GREL Operates (ACLANGO)’, claim that for some years now certain individuals purporting to serve the interest of Nananom have been encroaching on GREL’s legally acquired lands.
They cited an instance where about 33,000 rubber trees estimated to generate about €95,000 were recently cut down by those individuals and other acts of vandalism against GREL and its staff.
The Chairman of ACLANGO, Nana Kwesi Agyemang IX, who is also the Paramount Chief of Lower Dixcove Traditional Area said for the past four years, some individuals have been encroaching on GREL’s legally acquired lands for various uses including illegal mining activities.
“This act of illegality needs to be condemned and the perpetrators, regardless of their social, economic, and political status, brought to book in accordance with the laws of Ghana,” he stressed.
He explained that since 1993, GREL and ACLANGO have been working and living peacefully, and that anytime a community needed portions of GREL’s legally acquired land for community expansion, or any developmental project, the parties engaged each other in a peaceful manner until an agreement is reached.
Later in an interview, the Plantation Development Manager of GREL, Shaibu Karimu Bayugo, indicated that the alleged forceful takeover of the company’s land could drive potential investors away from the country.
The Corporate Affairs Manager of GREL, Perry Acheampong, said the company creates a lot of employment opportunities for the people in the catchment communities, adding, “It is therefore unfortunate that something like this is happening.”
He then appealed to the security agencies to investigate the matter and bring those responsible to book.
He, however, disclosed that an official press statement would be issued by the company, but was happy that the Gyabenkrom community, where most of the rubber trees have been destroyed, is helping the company locate the culprits.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi