The Owoo Family has recently made headlines in Ghana after it emerged they were original owners of the Achimota Forest land and have now been given portions of the land back, with the quantity of the land given to them becoming a matter of contention.
After the state (the then Gold Coast) acquired the land from the Owoo Family between 1921 and 1927 and gave the family compensation of some £4000, the family in 2006 began requesting for portions of the land back. The family said it wanted portions of the land back because the land was not being used for its intended purpose - a forest reserve.
The New Patriotic Party under president John Agyekum Kufuor after several deliberations come to a conclusion that the Owoo Family deserves portions of the Achimota land that was not used as the forest reserve. It decided to give the family 90 acres.
Then came the National Democratic Party government under former President John Dramani Mahama which become the second administration to give portions of the land back to the family. After negotiations with the family, the government decided to increase the portions of the land given to the family by the Kufuor government to some 196.5 acres.
The New Patriotic Party government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, after some negotiations with the family, also decided to give the Owoo Family portions of the de-gazetted Achimota Forest land (part of the land that is not part of the reserve) to the family.
In addition to the 196.5 acres, the Akufo-Addo government decided to give the family additional 165 acres of the land, bringing the total acres of land given back to the family to 361.50 acres.
The Lands Ministry in a statement has brought out details of how the Owoo family acquired portions of the Achimota Forest Land.
Read the document below for details of how and when each government released peripheral portions of the Achimota Forest land to the Owoo Family:
Some members of the Owoo Family