The destruction of farmland in Agona Kwesi Twikrom, Central Region, has left 700 Ghanaian farmers without their primary source of income after an investor cleared 250 acres of their land. The area, planted with cocoa, coconut, oranges, and cassava, was bulldozed by guards in military uniforms to prepare for a pineapple plantation. The farmers allege that two members of the Yogo No 2 Family of Agona Asafo, Yaw Nkum and Yaw Fosu, sold the land without the broader family’s approval. While elders acknowledged the sale, they insisted it did not cover the entire farm.
Albert Quainoo, a former assemblyman and one of the affected farmers, described the devastation as a crushing blow to the community, where many depend entirely on agriculture for survival. He recounted the death of an 82-year-old woman, Madam Efua Yamoawaa, who succumbed to shock after learning her coconut plantation had been demolished. The farmers attempted to report the incident to local police, but officers reportedly blocked their efforts to halt the destruction. Quainoo stated that CID officers even prevented them from intervening, despite an urgent appeal for assistance.
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Representatives for the farmers have demanded investigations by the Minister of Interior, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director General of the National Intelligence Bureau. They also called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to guarantee justice and compensation for the affected families. Madam Ekua Sekyi, an 85-year-old widow, tearfully recounted her struggles during a press conference. She said: “I have lost my husband 50 years ago and had single-handedly catered for my children through the farms only to wake up one day to see my crops destroyed by the wicked investor and his accomplices.”
Madam Efua Kyerewaa, another widow, confirmed that her five-acre palm plantation was destroyed. She added that the same group had previously cut down her three-acre crops three years earlier, falsely claiming ownership of the land. The farmers reported that the investor’s guards dismissed their crops as “flowers in their eyes”, worthless, and insisted no compensation would be provided.
