The bulldozers have already moved in. Part of the Dodowa Forest — a sacred grove the Shai people have protected for over 200 years — has been cleared, and blocks have been laid. The plan is to turn it into a temporary market while the main Dodowa Market gets redeveloped into a 24-hour economic hub.
But residents, traditional leaders, and environmentalists say no. They're demanding an immediate halt to the destruction, arguing that the forest isn't just trees — it's their heritage, their history, and their identity.
“I visited the area and saw that part of the forest had been cleared and blocks laid. This is the destruction of our heritage, customs, and traditions,” said Mr Bright Adjartey Apperkon, spokesperson for the Apperkon Family, which owns a significant portion of the market land.
He alleged that Madam Linda Akweley Ocloo, the Member of Parliament for Shai-Osudoku and Greater Accra Regional Minister, directed that part of the forest be used as a temporary market site.
“This is the destruction of our heritage, customs, and traditions.”
The Dodowa Forest was once about 320 acres. Now it's down to just a few acres, eaten away by encroachment over the years. But what remains is sacred. It's the historic battleground of the Katamanso War (1824–1826), where allied Ga-Dangbe and coastal tribes defeated the Ashanti forces. Under former Greater Accra Regional Minister Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, encroachers were removed, trees were planted, and the forest was declared a security zone.
“Why protect Ramsar sites and destroy our forest reserve?” Mr Apperkon questioned.
Mr Renner Awatey Kwesi Noah, a royal of the late Nene Bana Atrokpa I’s Lineage, described the forest as the spiritual and cultural backbone of the Shai people. “We support development, but not at the expense of our heritage. The location of the temporary market is the problem,” he said, warning that the market would bring sanitation and environmental degradation.
Dr Gloria Djaney Djagbletey, former Principal Research Scientist at the CSIR-Forestry Research Institute, explained the ecological value. “Beyond providing food and medicinal resources, the forest acts as a windbreak, supports biodiversity, enhances rainfall, filters water, prevents erosion, and reduces pollution,” she said. “The Dodowa Forest is a sacred grove. Destroying it is like erasing the soul of the Shai people.”
Rev Jonathan Obour-Wiredu, Greater Accra Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, added that clearing the forest removes topsoil and ultimately shortens human life span. He noted that the Forestry Commission has limited control over community-owned forests like Dodowa, so local stewardship is critical. “When I heard about the forest being used as a temporary market, I said to myself that the top soil is gone, we're killing the forest,” he said.
Residents acknowledge that the redevelopment of Dodowa Market into a 24-hour economic hub could bring economic benefits. But they insist it mustn't come at the cost of a forest that holds centuries of cultural, historical, and environmental value.
For now, the clearing has started, and the community is pushing back. They want the government to find an alternative site for the temporary market — one that doesn't erase their soul.