WHO DARES WINS INDEED!

Who dares, indeed, really does eventually win. On one's deathbed, one of the things that one will doubtless ponder, in reviewing one's life in Ghana, will be the fact that one found it so hard to comprehend - comparing attitudes here in Ghana, with those in the United Kingdom, towards environmental issues, by officialdom - the singular lack of appreciation of the work carried out by environmental activists, at the grass-roots level, by so many Ghanaian public officials.

That is why one is so grateful to the few public officials in Ghana, who have gone out of their way to be helpful to one, over the past decade and a half that one has battled with like-minded souls, and against great odds, to preserve what must be one of the most beautiful places on the surface of the planet Earth - located in the Akim Abuakwa Juaso section, of the Atewa Range upland evergreen rain forest.

The support of these kindly officials, throughout the period we have worked hard to ensure that it is eventually turned into a world-class community-based eco-tourism destination, has been invaluable indeed.

In sharp contrast to the positive attitude shown by such officials, one has to say that nothing is more depressing, than coming across well-educated and highly qualified Ghanaian officials, about whom all one can say, is that their singular lack of enthusiasm in conservation at the grassroots level - shown by what are indeed relatively well-paid individuals, whose job it is to preserve what remains of our forest belt: and who frequently criss-cross the globe attending conferences for precisely that purpose - must rank as one of the most egregious examples of disloyalty shown by public servants to Mother Ghana.

And so as we approach the point at which our dream of transforming a gem of nature that we are humble and proud stewards of, starts being turned into reality, we would like to thank and salute all those hard-working officials and private individuals, who have gone out of their way to assist us, for the last fifteen or so years.

We salute each one of them, as heroes - for it is their dedication to the difficult task of protecting the remainder of Ghana's rain forests, which helped us get to the point where we will soon start tackling the final stretch, of our long and oft dangerous journey, to the transformation of what will eventually become one of Africa's showpiece community-based eco-tourism destinations: complete with ziplines, a forest canopy walkway and eco-lodges (including tree-house eco-lodges!), as centrepiece attractions.

To the few individuals who tried very hard to sabotage our plans, at every stage of our difficult fifteen-year journey, and constantly stabbed us in the back - even whiles smiling broadly at us: and spinning the most unspeakable lies about us behind our backs (us, who unlike many in this byzantine land of phoney churchgoers and uber-selfishness, have altruism wired into our DNA - as our deeds have always shown) - we simply say: things upon which the light-of-blessing constantly shines, and which are done openly and underpinned by an ethos of transparency, can neither be overcome nor overshadowed by the forces of darkness and evil.

Despite their endless sabotage and back-stabbing, our little 14 square-mile gem in the Akim Abuakwa Juaso section of the Atewa Range upland evergreen rain forest (a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) that is one of Africa's most interesting birding sites, and butterfly sanctuaries - as well as home to the unique Black Star plant; rare tree-ferns; and orchids, incidentally!), will soon be transformed into a world-class community-based eco-tourism destination. Who dares, indeed, really does eventually win!

Tel (Powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!) : + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.