‘Accra Lion’ invades CSIR lands

Scientists and workers of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has kicked against the plan by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo and the Accra Mayor to relocate the displaced victims of Old Fadama on the land belonging to the Council.

According to them, the regional minister, popularly called ‘Lion’ and the Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr. Alfred Vandapuije are planning to settle the recently displaced victims of Old Fadama, known as Sodom and Gomorrah, on the Pokuase land belonging to the CSIR-Animal Research Institute (CSIR-ARI), which is being used for scientific research and development purposes.

The workers, who took to the streets against moves being made by the minister, noted that: “the said land was given out to the CSIR-ARI purposely for research and is currently being used for that purpose. The staff of CSIR is, therefore, strongly cautioning the AMA, government, individuals, organisations or any organized groups to stay away from the land, and we will do anything to counteract any action(s) to encroach on the land”.

Addressing the demonstrators later, the National Chairman of the Local Unions, John Baffoe, emphasized that the land was meant for research to develop and transfer technologies related to stock production in the country.

“The intention to relocate the Sodom and Gomorrah’s displaced victims was conceived some six years ago by the government but the CSIR vehemently opposed it. We will oppose it today and any time in future”.

Mr. Baffoe, therefore, warned that the workers of CSIR would not hesitate to take drastic measures to prevent the AMA, government and other encroachers from taking over the land.

“We will be happy if the government shelves the idea now and never revisit it again to enable the cordial relationship that exist between the government and the CSIR to continue and allow research to be employed for the development of our dear country Ghana”, he stressed.

Court injunction on AMA

According to document in the possession of The Chronicle, the AMA on the 31st October, 2009, trespassed on CSIR-ARI at the Pokuasi station. The intention was to construct a market to settle traders from Old Fadama in Accra.

The CSIR protested against the action of the AMA. The protests yielded no positive results, and so the CSIR had to go to the High Court, Accra, to seek injunction to stop AMA from encroaching on the land.

On 1st February, 2010, the High Court placed an injunction on AMA and two others from taking any part of the CSIR research land at Pokuase.

Furthermore, on 1st April, 2010, AMA, through their solicitor, Tony Luther, approached the CSIR and indicated that they wanted a portion of the Pokuase research land.

The Direction General set up a committee to consider the request of the AMA and advised him on the line of action of CSIR. The committee was under the chairmanship of Dr Ben Hagan, Director of CSIR-Institute of Industrial Research.

The committee considered the request of the AMA from three main angles which Dr. Charles Domozoro of the Animal Research Institute of CSIR explained below:

Why the need for the CSIR research land?

According to him, research work on science and technology activities at the Pokuase station is of High National Importance. The only living pasture museum in Ghana is at the Pokuase, he stated.

Dr. Domozoro revealed that the Pokuase station is a place where students across the country visit to learn about various forage specious.

Additionally, the cultivated pasture at the CSIR-ARI Pokuase provides planting materials for pasture development by governmental organisations including the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), universities, NGOs, as well as private farmers.

“Co-existence between CSIR, particularly the CSIR-ARI station and the proposed project on the land is impossible due to the environmental and health reasons. The institute needs a pathogen-free environment for its research work.”

However, if the proposed project is allowed, various diseases could be introduced from the stock to the people to be relocated onto the research station, Dr Domozoro cautioned.

Furthermore, he indicated that their presence on the land would jeopardise the many years of research by CSIR-ARI to the detriment of the entire nation.

Environmental degradation, noise and air pollution are outcomes that can kill the existing balanced agro-ecological system, if such a project is not stopped on a National Research Station (NARS).

“The space being occupied by the CSIR-ARI at Pokuase is insufficient for its research activities. As a result, MoFA was requested to release more land for the institute’s activities. Indeed, this request was documented and is available.”

We won’t move CSIR from Pokuase

Dr. Domozoro laid the argument that the CSIR should be moved from Pokuase, saying: “Pokuase is very close to Accra and yet it is very different in terms of its agro-climatic conditions.

Pokuase is in one of the six main agro-ecological zones (forest to coastal savanna transition zone) in the country, it is thus a unique and strategic location in the scheme of the CSIR research institute’s activities. It is possible and convenient to run multi-locational trials on animals, forages and food crops in the different agro-ecological zones simultaneously and at minimum cost.”

Consequently, development and adaptation of technologies for the transitional zone (forest to coastal Savannah) is easy to undertake. This, according to Dr Domozoro, is crucial for research and development (R&D) with the current spate of emerging diseases and climate change occurrences.

The total decimations of the various agro-ecological zones such as this, and the denial of R&D in these locations are simply spelling doom for the nation now and for future generations, according to the worried scientists.

Giving up any propositions of the CSIR land, they noted would have negative implications for other lands that the Council owns. In that, anybody can get up any day and make demands on the CSIR’s land, since precedence would have been set, they argued.

The proposed resettlement of the Sodom and Gomorrah victims/squatters on the CSIR research land presupposes that Scientific Research is not important. Giving out any portion of the research land would mean that the CSIR does not believe in what it does and its importance to national development and posterity.