Sogakope: The Sogakope Area Office of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has announced the commencement of its 2025 compliance enforcement exercise across six districts within its jurisdiction in September 2025. The exercise will cover the Keta Municipal, Akatsi South Municipal, Anloga, South Tongu, North Tongu, and Central Tongu Districts.
According to Ghana News Agency, the exercise forms part of efforts to ensure strict adherence to environmental laws, including the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), Environmental Assessment Regulations, 1999 (LI 1652), the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 (Act 1080), and the Hazardous Electronic and Other Wastes (Classification), Control and Management Regulations, 2016 (LI 2250).
Mr. Derick Ashia Logo, Area Head of the EPA Sogakope Office, explained that the authority has undertaken extensive education and awareness programmes as stipulated under the law. These have included community sensitisation on local radio, stakeholder engagements, and meetings with groups and associations. Notices have already been served to facilities that risk closure as part of the enforcement exercise, with some operators receiving multiple notices on separate occasions.
The Area Head emphasised that undertakings-including enterprises, construction works, projects, structures, or modifications-that commence or operate without an environmental permit, continue operations with expired permits, or fail to comply with their license conditions would be sanctioned. Mr. Logo stated that this phase of their enforcement exercise is not a revenue mobilization exercise as being spread by some persons, and that compliance with the EPA Act is the aim with fees and charges being a subset of it.
Mr. Logo highlighted the importance of regulation in addressing environmental challenges such as improper waste management, wrongful usage or handling of pesticides or agrochemicals, air and noise pollution issues, wrongful siting of undertakings, flooding and wastewater management, and illegal sand winning activities that degrade the environment. The EPA reminded both government and privately owned facilities within the six districts to take urgent steps to regularise their operations at the Authority's Area Office.
