Could what used to be known as the Gomoa Buduburam Camp Liberia refugee settlement area, be transformed into a unique, and prosperous, planned new green climate-resilient melting-pot community?
The answer to that question, dear critical-reader, is, a resounding yes. However, any such redevelopment, must be in tandem with the granting of Ghanaian citizenship, to all the Liberian refugees, who want to be integrated into Ghanaian society, instead of being repatriated to Liberia.
Such a move, will be an eminently sensible (and neat) solution, to the uncertainty about their continued stay, in Gomoa Buduburam, in one's humble opinion. It will remove a source of tension and emotional turmoil for them. For sure.
After all, we are quite happy to grant Ghanaian citizenship, to Global North citizens of African descent, who are the progeny of slaves who were shipped from Africa, to the Americas, and elsewhere, are we not?
Speaking personally, one counts one's self, amongst the independent Ghanaian media professionals, who have come to empathise with the plight of the remainder of the Liberian nationals, who sought refuge in Ghana, and made Gomoa Buduburam, a home away from home - and would rather integrate with Ghanaians, and live out the rest of their natural lives in Ghana, than be forced to return to a Liberia they hardly know: even if it is now safe for them to return to, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), which no longer officially designates them as refugees, for that reason.
Naturally, one also understands the desire of the traditional authorities of Gomoa Buduburam, who want to benefit financially, from selling the Camp Liberia land, once it is razed down, after the departure of the remaining refugees.
Its proximity to Kasoa, and Accra, both easily reached by tro-tros, shared taxis and Metro Mass Transit passenger buses, from Gomoa Buduburam, has made their land very valuable indeed.
However, perhaps if they thought of themselves as potential partners for overseas companies, which 3-D print tiny houses, in factories, and then ship them to the sites of real estate developers, which could be persuaded to invest in a new factory in Gomoa Buduburam, they will end up being incredibly wealthy, in the long-term.
In that regard, they could turn all the land in the area known as The Gap, and, all the land around the St. Gregory Catholic Hospital, into a world-class adventure park, and add another new green economy revenue stream for themselves.
And, if they opted to replace a portion Camp Liberia, with new green communities, consisting of tiny homes with modern conveniences, individually surrounded by forest garden compounds, in concentric circles, traversed by a road network built using inexpensive EcoRoad technology, and lined on both sides with fruit trees, such as coconuts, mangoes, they could generate revenue from renting out tiny homes, too, as landlords.
Funding for such projects could be sourced from Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, for example. One would be happy to place contacts in one's extensive personal network, at their disposal, at zero cost to them, to facilitate that for them, if approached, as one's widow's mite contribution, to a noble common-good green cause.
As wise and aspirational Africans, if they want to ensure a prosperous future, for all their royal families, Gomoa Buduburam's traditional authorities must broaden their horizons, think longterm and see themselves as ethical stewards, of a truly unique climate resilient green African melting-pot community.
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