Government has debunked reports that the popular Achimota Forest has been sold.

Achimota Forest topped the trends on Twitter after news broke that an Executive Instrument (E.I) has been signed making it no longer a forest reserve.

Details of the E.I signed by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, states that the land effective May 1, 2022, is no longer required as a forest reserve.

“An Executive Instrument (E.I.) 144 gazetted on behalf of President Akufo-Addo by the Lands Minister Samuel Abdulai Jinapor indicates that effective May 1, 2022, the land on which the Forest is located shall cease to be a forest reserve.”

“The President’s action was in accordance with Section 19 of the Forest Act, 1927 (CAP. 157) which gives him the authority to declare that particular land is no longer required as a forest reserve,” portions of the E.I said.

This generated a lot of discussions on social media with government being criticized for selling Achimota Forest and other reserves.

Abu Jinapor has however insisted that "Government has and will never sell Achimota Forest".

In  statement, he said: "the general public is entreated to disregard these reports as they are false, baseless and non-factual. Indeed, what the propagators of these messages have refused to add is that, E.I. 144 was published together with the Forests (Achimota Firewood Plantation Forest Reserve) (Amendment) Instrument, 2022 (E.I. 154).