A 100-acre land designated for the construction of a state-of-the-art industrial town in Kyekyewere, Eastern Region, has been besieged by armed sand winners, dealing a severe blow to the project's progress.
Situated along the Accra to Kumasi Highway, the land was acquired by Blue Skies Company in 2018. However, the situation took a dire turn when task forces of illegal sand winners, armed with guns and heavy machinery, invaded the site in recent weeks.
A visit to the site revealed a scene of significant devastation. The armed sand winners, often operating under the cover of darkness, not only damaged 50% of the land but also destroyed 350 cedar plants planted by Blue Skies as part of their environmental sustainability plan.
Compounding the distress, farms belonging to approximately 50 smallholder caretaker farmers have been ravaged by the illegal sand winners, who claim to be operating under the authority of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council.
Alistair Djimatey, Public Relations Manager of Blue Skies Company Limited, expressed shock at the development and stated that the investors are now considering whether to proceed with the project. The project was expected to create employment opportunities for 4,000 people and generate electricity for industrial activities and the community.
Djimatey emphasized, "The idea is to develop this land into an ultra-modern factory with its own electricity system to bring some level of development to this area in order to boost our industrialization drive as a people. Few weeks back we observed a few activities in this area and sadly we came back and observed this level of devastation in the area."
He further added, "We are investing about £25 million pounds in this project to create job for over 4000 people in this area and at this state we are wondering whether it is necessary for us to go ahead with our intention of building an ultra-modern business because we cannot invest your money when you have no assurance the investment you are putting it in."
The company has reported the incident to the police, hoping for the swift arrest and punishment of the perpetrators. Djimatey stated, "Thankfully we have reported this to police and we hope that we will be able to work with them and the traditional leadership to be able to bring justice to ensure that this thing does not happen again because the focus of the business is to develop this area and create a biodiversity that will be second to none."
The Ayensuano district has a history of illegal sand winning activities, leading to clashes between farmers and sand winners, often involving armed land guards and resulting in tragic deaths.
(This article is sourced from starrfm.com.gh curated my Fatawu Ibrahim | Mydailyreports24)
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