The Owoo brothers, Nee Owoo II, alias George Owoo, Esq. (born in Accra, 1861 to 1934) and Rebert Owoo, Esq. also born in Accra, 1866 were merchants in “Funtumia Elastica” from the 1890s.
Funtumia elastic, commonly named ‘silk rubber’, is a medium-sized deciduous tree.
Funtumia elastica (Apocynaceae Family) is one of such plants which, apart from its great use as a source of very good quality cream-coloured latex used to make rubber, is also, because of its stem bark, leaves and latex, highly valued in traditional medicine for the treatment and management of a number of diseases and disorders.
The astringent stem bark is the main part used in the traditional medicine.
Its decoction is administered as a laxative and vermifuge.
It is included in prescriptions for troubles associated with blennorrhoea and for painful menstruation.
The pounded stem bark is taken in spirits to cure haemorrhoids.
The stem bark decoction is used for treating chest infections including whooping cough and is also administered orally to improve the health conditions of patients experiencing fatigue, heart conditions, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Its bark powder is used in the treatment of respiratory ailments including asthma.
Funtumia elastica contains a number of phytochemicals including alkaloids in the stem bark and conanine in the leaves.
The presence of these bioactive compounds may somewhat explain why this plant is used in traditional medicine as a cure for a great many disease conditions.
George Owoo, who was later enstooled as Osu Mantse Nii Owoo II and his younger brother Robert Owoo took advantage of the world rubber boom of the 1890s, to set up a thriving business in this product as middlemen.
George Owoo mortgaged much of his family’s property in Dutch Accra (Kinka) to secure loans from the Basel Mission Trading Company.
Some of the Profits were invested in real estate in Accra (cf. Parker 2000: 121).
Nii Owoo II worked with the Danes as an interpreter who aided smooth communication between local chiefs and the foreigners.
The Owoos were known as the pioneers of the rubber trade and plied it for gain, but they also had some heavy losses while dealing in their trade.
The Owoos business in their funtumia elastica, stretched from Kwadoja to the Jaman woods in the West, as from Akim to Debisu.
They were paramount in the trade, when the Ashantis teemed at Cape Coast.
They stretched from [the] Cape Coast market to Lagos forests and proved the elastica there.
They declared its merits and thousands followed their footsteps in doing that business.
“A little pleasure, a lot of businesses” – That was the motto of the Owoos.
The Owoos acquired large acres of land for their rubber business inland Accra (they moved from being middlemen to becoming owners and dealing directly with the Danes and Dutch traders) and that was how they acquired the Achimota Forest strictly for their business.
The British Government of the Gold Coast purchased the piece of property on which the Achimota School (which was formerly intended to serve as a West African University) is located from the Owoo Family in 1921 via a Certificate of Title dated 16th December 1921, issued under the Public Lands Ordinance, 1876.
Issued under Lieutenant Governor Lees, this ordinance purported to en- title the government to get land for public purposes (CO.96/358, Drayton to Antrobus 97, 6 March 1900).
It also stipulated that a compensation would be granted to the owners of such land, except for “unoccupied land” which was defined as follows:
Any land shall be deemed unoccupied where it is not proved that beneficial use thereof for cultivation or inhabitation or for collecting or storing water or for any industrial purpose… (CO.96/358, Drayton to Antrobus 97, 6 March 1900).
Subsequently, by another Certificate of Title dated 17th May, 1927, the Government acquired from the same family another tract of land measuring approximately four hundred and seventy-nine (479) hectares as an extension to the Achimota School.
Although there are receipts indicating payment of compensation for the 1921 acquisition, there are no records of payment of compensation for the 1927 acquisition.
By an Order 31 of 1930, dated July 17, 1930, the Government, pursuant to its power under the Forests Act, 1927, (Cap 157), constituted the land acquired in 1927, as a Forest Reserve for the purposes of Fuel Wood (Fire Wood) Plantation for Achimota School at a time when coal was becoming expensive and hard to acquire on a daily basis for a school.
Forests Act, 1927, (Cap 157), provided for the protection of forests and the creation and management of forest reserves.
The President may, by executive instrument, constitute as a forest reserve – (a) lands which are the property of the Government; (b) stool lands, at the request of the relevant authority; (c) private lands, at the request of the owner; (d) lands that ought to be protected in order to (i) safeguard the water supply of the district, or (ii) assist the well-being of the forest and agricultural crops grown on those lands or in the vicinity of those lands, or (iii) secure the supply of forest produce to the inhabitants of villages situated on those lands or in the vicinity of those lands.
The Act has however been amended, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
The amendments are Ghana Forestry Commission Act (Act No. 405 of 1980). on 22nd March 1980.
Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 1954 (No. 45 of 1954) on 24th November 1954.
Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 1957 (No. 10 of 1957). on 27 July 1957.
Achimota Forest was gazetted in 1930 by Ghana’s colonial authorities as a reserve.
So What’s The Nature of The Forest Today?
Hundreds of prayer camps and mini-churches are a common feature in the Achimota Forest in modern Ghana (After Colonial Rule).
The Achimota Forest is an endangered forest.
Some settlers around the forest have turned the forest into a refuse dump.
Some construction sites and activities around the forest also fetch their sand from the forest.
Encroachment has taken a serious toll on the forest.
When the forest was gazetted in 1930, it had a total size of 494.95 hectares.
Currently, the size of the forest is 360 hectares.
It has lost 134.95 hectares or 27% of the original demarcations.
Has The Forest Reserve Been Sold?
On 17th May 2022, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor refuted claims that the “Colonial Forest” Reserve has been sold saying the report is false, baseless and non-factual.
Rather, he said the government, through the Forests (Cessation of Forest Reserve) Instrument, 2022 (E.I 144), had made the peripheral portions of the Forest Reserve, which had already been granted to the Owoo Family in September, 2013 cease to be a Forest Reserve, to ensure a development that was consistent with the area of the Forest Reserve.
In addition to that, he explained that Forests (Achimota Firewood Plantation Forest Reserve) (Amendment) Instrument, 2022 (E.I. 154), was also promulgated to ensure the area of the forest remained a Forest Reserve.
In a press conference, he explained that the Achimota Forest remained an integral part of government’s plan for the protection of Ghana’s forest cover, and the overall agenda for aggressive afforestation and reforestation.
“Government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, will continue to protect the Achimota Forest and prevent it from being further encroached.
Government is also committed to ensuring that whatever that happens on the peripheral portions of the land, does not affect the ecological integrity of the Forest,” he added.
Detailing government’s reasons to declassify the peripheral parts of the Achimota Forest Reserve as a reserve through the Executive Instruments, he said following several encroachments on the Forest Reserve, the pre-acquisition owners, the Owoo Family, had since 2007 petitioned successive governmentS for the release of the portion of the Forest Reserve adjoining the Tema motorway.
“After consultations between the Office of President and the relevant bodies, it was recommended that that portion of the Forest Reserve be released to the Owoo Family.
This culminated in an Agreement dated November 24, 2008 between the Government, acting by the then Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines, and the Owoo Family for the grant of a lease over 90 acres of the land to the Owoo Family for a term of 99 years.
The Lease agreement was however not executed as agreed,” he stated.
The Minister said former President John Mahama, in September 2013, gave Executive Approval for the conversion of the Forest Reserve into an Ecotourism Park, and to release the peripheral portions of the Forest Reserve to the Owoo Family.
Pursuant to the said Executive Approval, he said the Forestry Commission granted these portions of the Forest Reserve to the Owoo Family for a term of 99 years.
“The Family then registered the land in its name and granted sub-leases to other private developers with the consent of the Forestry Commission.
However, because the land remained a Forest Reserve, by virtue of Order 31 of 1930, the lessees and sub-lessees could not develop the land, although they had obtained all the necessary permits,” Mr Jinapor added.
He explained that the Owoo Family and their grantees, in a bid to develop the peripheral portions of the land which had already been granted to them, continued to petition government to release of the peripheral portions as a Forest Reserve.
Government, the Minister said, after assessing the entire situation, and based on the advice of the Forestry Commission, that the ecological integrity of the Forest Reserve would not be compromised by the release, decided to release the peripheral portions of the land from the Forest Reserve.
The Achimota Forest is a “Colonial Relic” and Endangered Eco Reserve that needs to be protected at all cost.
