A/R: House of Chiefs to Summon GWCL, ECG, Town Planners and Lands Commission over Owabi Encroachment

The Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs is expected to summon regional officials of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Town and Country Planning, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Lands Commission over the encroachment of the Owabi River, which threatens water supply to the region.

Their summoning follows a directive from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, while presiding over the last meeting of the House on December 19, 2025.

This is expected to take place in 2026.

Otumfuo remarked that Nananom, who sold these lands, are not the only complicit stakeholders.

Their presence, His Majesty said, was needed to clarify the issue at hand and fish out all those responsible to face justice.

“The law has established a radius, prohibiting the development of settlements. Who permitted the facility that was built? Who connected the water to those houses? Which chief sold the land for the building? Who connected the light to that house?”

“Trees were planted to protect the water. We claim to be civilised today, yet we have developed settlements there. Did the developer get up just like that to build? Or did a chief sell the land to him/her? Who is that chief, and why did he defy the ban to sell it? Which town planner also gave them the permit to build it?”

This was in response to a petition from the Lands Commission to the King over the illegal sale of lands in the said area and a planned demolition exercise.

“There is a penalty. This is not a matter of coming to see Otumfuo. The truth must be laid bare. If we fail to confront the truth and act, the consequences will come back to haunt us in a few years.”

Story by Hajara Fuseini

Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/