The Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly (TNMA)'s move to develop part of the veterinary disease surveillance farm containing the burial site for anthrax diseased animals at Kwabedu has sparked fears of a potential public health disaster as the assembly continues to ignore objections and legal advice to halt the project.
According to the Veterinary Services Department (VSD) the decision by the assembly to allow a private developer access to the land for the development of a commercial facility could trigger a national epidemic through exposure of humans and animals to deadly pathogens.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Ghanaian Times yesterday, the Regional Director of the Veterinary Services in charge of the Western and Western North regions, Dr Simon Gbene, said it was unfortunate that the Assembly had ignored repeated objections and legal advice to halt the project.
Related Articles
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
- Women urged to take up challenging rolesDecember 5, 2023
- Quality, safety mgt in food value chain launchedDecember 23, 2021
This he said was despite the fact that all the necessary scientific proof had been laid bare and the health threat that could extend beyond Ghana's borders.
Dr Gbene said the situation had become very worrying because despite assurances from the Western Regional Minister to relocate the project, the developer was still on site developing the facility.
"The Regional Minister assured us that the Assembly would look for another site, but we have not seen any sign of them leaving. The land is unsuitable for the intended development because of the public health risks involved. The Assembly should find another location," he said.
Dr Gbene explained that the Veterinary Investigation Farm, designated by the Lands Commission, serves as a disease surveillance centre for the Volta, Eastern, Central, Western and Western North regions and supports the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Takoradi.
He said the facility, established in 1978 with funding support from the European Union, remains one of the country's key installations for monitoring and controlling animal diseases.
The Regional Director disclosed that the disputed portion of the land contains anthrax burial sites where carcasses of infected animals were safely interred in May 2024.
He explained that international veterinary and public health protocols require such burial sites to remain undisturbed for up to 100 years because anthrax spores can survive in the soil for decades.
"Any disturbance of these sites could have catastrophic consequences for both human and animal health," Dr Gbene cautioned, adding that about 75 per cent of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases originated from animals.
Drawing parallels with the COVID-19 pandemic, he warned that disease outbreaks originating from animals could spread rapidly across national borders if preventive measures were ignored.
Dr Gbene further maintained that the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly had no legal title to the Veterinary Investigation Farm and said its continued attempts to develop the land raised serious legal and public health concerns.
He said the Veterinary Services Department had formally petitioned the Attorney-General through the Principal State Attorney for the Western Region after earlier legal advice highlighted the dangers associated with the proposed development.
Dr Gbene appealed to the Ministries of Health and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, the security agencies, civil society organisations and the media to intervene to safeguard the facility.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"The safety of our people must always take precedence over commercial interests," he stressed.
He said although excavation had not yet commenced, the demolition of sections of the farm's perimeter fence had exposed staff bungalows and heightened security concerns.
A source at the Attorney-General's Office confirmed to The Ghanaian Times that it had received the VSD's petition and disclosed that the Department had served notice of its intention to institute legal action against the Assembly.
Efforts by The Ghanaian Times to reach the Municipal Chief Executive for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Mr Ebenezer Cobbinah, for his response proved unsuccessful.
