Botanic garden for Accra

Educational facility to be built outside capital

Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to create a botanic garden on a 40-hectare site located 30 km north of Accra. Situated at Danfa, off the Dodowa road in the Greater Accra region, the site will be developed as a botanic garden and research facility.

The EPA said the land would feature state-of-the-art environmental technology such as rain harvesting, biogas and waste-to-energy treatment plants. The garden will house both exotic and local species while the facility will also be used for educational purposes.

The announcement came as the EPA celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special forum in Accra, during which the agency appealed to the city's five million residents to be more mindful of the environment, particularly with regard to waste disposal.

The EPA revealed that out of a total of 2,800 tons of solid waste generated in Accra each day, some 600 tons gets dumped in drains, leading to flooding during the rainy season.