Every weekend in Accra, dozens, if not hundreds, of people go walking and running on the grounds of the University of Ghana at Legon, Ghana’s oldest and most prestigious university. With its shady, tree-lined streets and serene grid layout, it is beautiful, serene, and safe.
What is sad, though, is why. It is practically the only (semi) public space in Accra where you can do that. The university tends to its 2,800-acre campus, protecting its greenery and carefully maintaining its footpaths and shade trees. Elsewhere? Not so much.
We have just about only one major public park, and no other comparable green space that is as pleasant for walking, running, or just hanging out.
On social media I see stories praising Accra’s development: the sprouting of high rises, both commercial and residential…ignoring the fact that green spaces and the beautiful, old trees we used to have on our streets, such as neem, flamboyant and ylang-ylang are disappearing at an alarming rate.
These trees were not incidental features: they took decades to grow, and were the result of thoughtful urban planning decisions made generations ago to create a cooler, healthier, and more humane city. Accra is at a crossroads, and there is no doubt that the choices we make today about greenery and urban development will define the city’s liveability, beauty and long term economic value.
In cities we admire, such as Singapore, Paris and Joburg, urban planners have not seen green space as a luxury, it is incorporated as core infrastructure. Parks, tree-lined streets, and protected urban forests are treated as essential to public health, climate resilience, and economic stability. London for example is made up of 40% green space, with 8 million trees and 3,000 parks covering over 35,000 acres in total. By contrast, Accra’s current trajectory suggests a disturbing reversal – one where mature shade trees, such as the ones that used to line Giffard Road, are cut down for short-term construction gains, often replaced with heat-retaining concrete and little thought for long-term consequences.
Their removal has cascading effects:
Heat intensification: Without shade, streets become significantly hotter. This particularly affecting pedestrians and those without access to cars.
Public health impacts: Increased heat exposure, poorer air quality, and reduced mental wellbeing.
Declining property values: Ironically, the very developments replacing greenery can, if unchecked, end up ultimately reducing the desirability of neighbourhoods. Those diaspora and foreign investors that developers wish to attract. They see parks and recreational facilities as essential to a good quality of like.
Loss of urban identity: Tree-lined streets are part of Accra’s character – historically much admired by visitors. Once lost, they take decades to restore.
In my opinion this isn’t just an environmental issue. It is a social justice issue. The wealthy retreat into gated communities with private green spaces, while ordinary citizens – especially children – are left with little or no access to safe, shaded, natural environments, where they can walk, play or just spend some recreational time outdoors.
What makes this situation particularly frustrating is that as with many things, there is a regulatory framework. It is just underutilized.
Key provisions include:
- Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490)
Trees are effectively held in trust for the public. Cutting or pruning trees, even on private land, requires a permit from the EPA.
- Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936)
Metropolitan Assemblies like the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) have authority to regulate tree felling and urban environmental management.
- Environmental Assessment Regulations, 1999 (LI 1652)
Any activity likely to affect the environment -including tree removal for development – requires prior EPA approval. It must be enforced responsibly.
- Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925)
Development must align with approved spatial plans, which should include provisions for green space preservation and landscaping.
- AMA Bye-Laws
Require permits for tree removal and regulate noise, land use, and environmental health within the city.
The widespread, indiscriminate removal of trees is not just unfortunate – it should be prohibited.
Global Best Practice:
Many cities that have successfully balanced development with environmental protection.
Singapore for example, is a tropical city-state often called a “City in a Garden.” Its approach includes:
- Mandatory tree replacement policies (often exceeding a 1:1 ratio)
- Strict permitting regimes for tree removal
- Integration of greenery into all developments (including vertical gardens and roadside planting)
- Long-term urban forestry planning backed by enforcement
Similarly, London and New York maintain protected tree registers, enforce penalties for unauthorized felling, and invest heavily in urban canopy expansion.
If we are to follow global best practice in building a healthy city that benefits all of its citizens, we can start to more forcefully implement some of these methods.
The situation in Accra is not irreversible. But it requires coordinated action:
- Citizen Action
- Report unlawful tree cutting to the EPA, AMA, or Forestry Commission
- Demand that road developers and other state mandated contractors be compelled to preserve trees and urban greenery.
- Organize community-level advocacy and monitoring
- Legal Enforcement
- Seek injunctions in the High Court to halt unlawful tree removal
- Use public interest litigation grounded in:
- The Constitution Article 23 (fair administrative action)
- Article 36(9) (duty of the State to take action to protect the environment)
- Article 41(k)(duty of every citizen to protect the environment)
- Challenge improperly granted development permits
- Policy Reform
- Introduce mandatory tree replacement ratios (e.g., 2:1 for mature trees)
- Require minimum green space allocations in all developments
- Establish protected urban tree corridors and heritage trees
- Urban Planning Discipline
- Enforce zoning laws rigorously – especially for high-impact uses like noisy churches, clubs and petrol stations
- Integrate green infrastructure into all road and housing projects
There is a growing sense of helplessness among residents about the state of Accra’s environment, but we cannot succumb to it. Action produces results. The law provides tools. The precedent exists globally. What is needed now is responsible action – by architects, local authorities, and contractors, at the insistence of civil society.
Accra does not have to continue to become a hotter, harsher, more unequal city. It can instead reclaim and expand its green legacy – ensuring that shade, beauty, and liveability are not privileges for the few, but rights enjoyed by all.
The trees we are losing took decades to grow. The decisions we make today will take just as long to undo, or to restore.
The choice, for now, is still ours.
Carla Olympio, Esq.
Founder and Managing Partner
Agency Seven Seven
Personal profile:
Carla Olympio is Managing Partner of Agency Seven Seven, a Ghanaian lawyer advising corporate, technology, and creative sector clients on regulation, workplace rights, and cross-border transactions
Additional personal: She writes about the intersection of law, business, and social impact in Ghana.
Firm Profile:
Agency Seven Seven is a Ghanaian legal and advisory firm providing strategic guidance on corporate, labour, and regulatory matters for businesses in diverse sectors.
By Carla Olympio, Esq.
Founder and Managing Partner, Agency Seven Seven
