The Celebrity Golf Club (CGC) in Sakumono, one of Ghana’s last remaining 18-hole golf courses, is facing a serious threat due to ongoing encroachment, despite a court order prohibiting development on the land.
The course, which covers 98 acres, has already seen 18 acres of its land encroached upon, with construction activities rapidly advancing.
At a press conference on Thursday, Alex Oppong-Baffoe, Captain of the Celebrity Golf Club, sounded the alarm about the situation, describing it as dire. He revealed that developers, accompanied by land guards, have been clearing trees, erecting walls, and blocking access to the water source that supplies the course. “They’ve even marked off areas directly on the golf course for development. Our workers have been physically threatened when they tried to intervene,” Oppong-Baffoe lamented.
He voiced frustration over the lack of action from the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and local police, despite the ongoing violation of a court injunction. “This golf course is more than land; it is a community, a history, and a future,” he said. He called on the Regional Security Council, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to take swift action to protect the course, which he described as a national asset. He urged them to enforce the court’s order to halt the encroachment.
The Celebrity Golf Club serves not only as a recreational space but also plays a crucial role in national security, functioning as a disaster management and evacuation centre. The Ghana Airforce uses the course for training exercises related to disaster evacuation management. Former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Emile Short, a passionate golfer, condemned the encroachment, calling it a serious criminal violation. He also raised concerns over the involvement of armed land guards, describing their presence as a major threat to public safety. “The use of armed land guards is a criminal act, and we cannot allow this to escalate into violence,” Short stated, calling for both legal and political interventions to stop the encroachment.
Leonard Kwaku Okyere, President of the Ghana Golf Association, and Cathy Fabbi, Lady Captain of the Celebrity Golf Club, expressed their frustration over the encroachment, noting that it could distract from the club’s development and have a detrimental impact on the socio-economic growth of the Sakumono community. They, too, called on security agencies to intervene and protect the club from further destruction.
The Celebrity Golf Club, which has been in operation since 1987 under a lease agreement with TDC, has served as a hub for recreation and a source of employment for the local community. However, the ongoing encroachment threatens its legacy and its future.
In response to the immediate threat, club officials are considering bolstering private security measures while awaiting the authorities’ enforcement of the court order. They are also calling on the public and relevant stakeholders to join their efforts in preserving this national treasure from further destruction.
