The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ghana has issued a 30-day ultimatum to Empire Cement Ghana Limited, requiring the company to submit a detailed relocation plan for its cement plant situated near the Densu Delta wetland. This development comes six years after the EPA first ordered the company to vacate the protected area. The directive, dated October 28, 2026, and signed by EPA's Chief Executive Officer, Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, reaffirms a closure notice issued on September 14, 2026.
The dispute over the cement plant's location dates back to 2020 when the EPA first directed the company to halt construction and find an alternative site, citing land-use incompatibility. The facility is located close to residential communities, Panbros Salt Industries Limited, and the Densu Delta Ramsar Site, a wetland recognised internationally for its ecological significance. Environmental assessments have raised concerns over public health, flooding, and the movement of heavy-duty vehicles through nearby neighbourhoods.
Despite being granted an Environmental Permit in October 2023, the EPA noted that the permit came with conditions requiring the company to submit a decommissioning plan and relocate before the permit's expiry. The EPA said these conditions were varied in January 2024 following ministerial intervention; however, the Authority maintained that its concerns over health risks, flooding, and traffic had still not been properly addressed.
Residents' associations in the Weija-Gbawe area have been vocal about their opposition to the facility's continued operation, petitioning the President and the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology. The EPA's latest directive invokes Section 35 of the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), outlining the steps Empire Cement must follow to relocate. The company is required to identify potential alternative industrial sites and provide a clear implementation schedule.
Empire Cement must secure a new site within a designated industrial zone and obtain all necessary environmental and land-use approvals, including a fresh environmental impact assessment. The company is also required to work with the EPA and other state institutions to agree on an enforceable timeline for shutting down and decommissioning the existing plant and rehabilitating the site it currently occupies.
Until the relocation process is complete, Empire Cement must continue observing the environmental safeguards and pollution-control measures tied to its existing permit and the Closure Notice. The EPA cautioned that resuming operations without authorisation while the notice remains active could attract sanctions under Act 1124.
The EPA's latest move builds on its earlier action, as the regulator continues to press the company over a site dispute that has run for more than six years without resolution. Empire Cement Ghana Limited must submit a detailed relocation strategy and operational transition plan within the one-month window to avoid further action from the EPA.
Key points
- The EPA has given Empire Cement 30 days to submit a relocation plan for its cement plant near Accra's Densu Delta wetland.
- The cement plant's location has been a subject of dispute since 2020 due to concerns over public health, flooding, and traffic.
- Empire Cement must secure a new site within a designated industrial zone and obtain necessary environmental and land-use approvals.
