A video has surfaced on social media of President John Dramani Mahama clashing with a Gbawe Traditional Council rep over the illegal sale of Ramsar site lands to a private company.
President John Mahama joined the task force to fight the recurring flooding in the country to inspect the sites.
According to the Traditional Council rep, the Ramsar site lands are titled lands owned by the private company.
The man acknowledged that the Gbawe Traditional Council sold the land to a private company.
The private company is said to be filling the land with sand, which has resulted in flooding in nearby areas such as Gbawe and Blue Lagoon.
During the conversation, President Mahama warned the representative of the traditional council that Ramsar sites are not for sale and must be preserved to prevent flooding.
John Mahama stated, “The point even is, your point about N1 blocking the water this is a bridge the water flows under the bridge so how did the N1 block the water? Because they take cognition of the drains and they build over and so the water flows under the bridge.
The problem now is the filling of the wetlands nobody was supposed to sell these lands, you don’t sell wetlands they are protected sites go to other places where people have built there their buildings have been demolished. The traditional authority has no right to sell or give title to someone on a wetland”.
President Mahama established a task force to fight the recurring flooding situation across Ghana.
The Anti-Flood Taskforce is headed by the Deputy Chief of Staff in Charge of Operations, Stanislav Xoese Dogbe.
The Legal Counsel to the President, Marietta Brew, serves as the Secretary to the Taskforce. Other key members include the Minister for Water Resources, Works & Housing, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei; the Minister for Local Government, Ahmed Ibrahim; the National Security Coordinator, DCOP Abdul Osman Razak; and the Deputy Director General of NADMO, Teddy Addi.
As part of its field activities, the task force conducted an aerial reconnaissance to assess flood-prone areas and collect crucial data for flood prevention.
Key locations surveyed included Weija, the Sakumo Ramsar Site, and the Tema Fishing Harbour area.
Meanwhile, some netizens have shared their opinion on the video, “In a serious country, that guy would have been arrested, but here’s a country where the law saf you doesn’t make sense so they will say he’s not guilty until proven when we can clearly see what he’s doing. We just a joke of a country”.
“@JDMahama is sooo humble and indeed a human being. Dwarf was not supposed to leave amongst men. I now understand. Even chiefs and kings were being ordered to get up, but see an ordinary citizen stand in front of a whole state president explaining himself. Thank God for saving us”, another stated.
One user also stated, “By law, all wetlands belong to the state. Professional bodies that come into contact with these lands are to register it in the name of the state. But this practice has been relegated by these practising professionals”.
Additionally, another stated, “I have always hoped for this day. We need to provide a place for water to settle, or else the towns along the coast lines will suffer. Protect the life forms and landscape. Even the obvious cooling effect of these lagoons and water ways must be protected. Thank you Mr Pres”.
Watch the video below:
President Mahama was seen engaged in a heated discussion with a representative of the Gbawe Traditional Council, who had sold a Ramsar site to a private company. The company is filling the land with sand, which has resulted in flooding in nearby areas such as Gbawe and Blue… pic.twitter.com/x1qP6szzGg
— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) April 4, 2025
