The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) of Ghana has ordered Empire Cement Ghana Limited to submit a comprehensive plan to relocate its cement grinding and bagging facility away from the Densu Delta Ramsar Site. This directive, dated October 28, 2026, gives the company 30 days to present a relocation strategy. The plan must include alternative industrial sites, implementation timelines, worker protection measures, and operational transition arrangements.
The EPA also reaffirmed that a Closure Notice issued on September 14, 2026, remains in force. The Authority noted that concerns about the facility date back to June 2020. At that time, the EPA ordered the company to halt construction and identify an alternative location due to land-use incompatibility. Environmental assessments subsequently identified potential public health concerns, flood risks, and the movement of heavy-duty vehicles through surrounding communities.
The Densu Delta Ramsar Site is an internationally recognised wetland that supports biodiversity, regulates water flows, and provides essential ecological services. Locating an industrial facility with the potential to generate dust and other forms of pollution close to such an important ecosystem should have attracted strict scrutiny from the outset. The EPA's directive is welcome news, but it raises questions about how a facility of this nature was allowed to operate in such an environmentally sensitive location.
The proximity of a cement facility to residential communities is a concern, as cement grinding and bagging can generate dust, while the movement of heavy-duty vehicles can expose residents to additional risks. Without effective safeguards, these activities may compromise air quality, public health, and residents' quality of life. The potential consequences for the surrounding wetland make the situation even more troubling.
Empire Cement must secure the necessary environmental and land-use approvals for its new location and work with relevant institutions to decommission the existing facility and rehabilitate the site. Unauthorised operations could attract sanctions under the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124). The EPA must ensure that the requirements are met and that the existing Closure Notice remains in force.
The government and environmental regulators must examine how industrial permits are granted and monitored. Sensitive wetlands and residential communities should not become places where industrial operators are permitted to establish facilities first, only for environmental and public health concerns to be addressed years later. There must also be accountability for decisions that allowed such a potentially incompatible land use to proceed despite the environmental sensitivities involved.
The relocation directive is a step in the right direction, but protecting the Densu Delta requires more than a directive; it requires consistent enforcement, transparent oversight, and a commitment to preventing similar mistakes. The EPA must see this process through to its logical conclusion. Environmental protection cannot be an afterthought; it must begin before the first block is laid.
Key points
- The EPA has given Empire Cement 30 days to submit a comprehensive relocation plan.
- The facility's location near the Densu Delta Ramsar Site has raised environmental and public health concerns.
- The EPA's directive aims to protect the environment and the health and safety of surrounding communities.
