The protesters with their placards
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Monday petitioned the government over the growing encroachment of its lands nationwide.
It said the development had reached alarming proportions and could not be allowed to continue.
The council asked that it was granted a lease on its Pokuase land, and to also stop the Ga West Municipal Assembly from undertaking any activity on the land.
Dr Emmanuel Bekoe, President of Research Staff Association, led a delegation to present the petition to Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) in Accra.
He called for police protection for the CSIR staff to enable them to conduct their research activities devoid of physical attacks by landguards.
Dr Bekoe indicated most of their lands meant for the research activities of all their thirteen (l3) institutes, including the head office, were under serious threat of encroachment by developers.
He stated: “Our petition today focuses on the CSIR-Animal Research Institute – Pokuase lands – where the GA West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Clement Wilkinson, under the pretext of constructing affordable housing units, has superintendent over the destruction of large acreage of land meant for research purposes including PhD students’ trials.”
He accused the MCE of being complicit in the destruction of planting materials, including rare species of specially cultivated forage.
He explained to the minister that the Pokuase Research Station land was not lying idle but was being used to serve as the only forage of museum in Ghana – the conservation of the N’dama cattle – which had the tolerant gene against the trypanosomiasis disease plaguing cattle in the tropics.
Additionally, the CSIR was using it for a collaborative work with the Global Research Alliance on the study of carbon sequestration under cultivated pasture and the provision of pasture seeds for the country.
Prof. Frimpong Boateng assured the council that steps would be taken to stop the encroachment.
“We are aware of all these encroachment going on. We will put our heads together to solve the problem.”
GNA