Recent developments on the management Achimota School Lands

Dear Akora,

There have been a few recent developments on the management of Achimota School lands that should be of interest to you as a stakeholder. These are:

1. The out-going Minister of Education led a process for the preparation of a Trust Deed and the setting up of an “Achimota School Lands Trust” to be responsible for managing Achimota School lands and any related matters.
2. In the said Trust Deed, the Minister of Education is the Trustor and appoints the Trustees.
3. The composition of the Board of Trustees does not provide for any entity with a permanent interest in Achimota School and its assets.
4. The Trust Deed was signed by the parties on 1^st February 2021, despite all the written protestations of the OAA Executive Committee.
5. The OAA Executive Committee met on 9^th February 2021 to discuss how best to respond to this unfortunate development. The meeting resolved that the Trust Deed was not in the best interest of Achimota School as it effectively hands over control of Achimota School lands to the Minister of Education and the Ghana Education Service. This runs counter to the rationale for vesting the land in the School’s Governing Council (and not the Department of Education at the time), and is against the spirit and letter of the Supreme Court ruling of 20^th May 2020.
6. The OAA Executive Committee has decided to challenge the legality of the said Trust Deed and the composition of the Board of Trustees in court.
7. The idea of setting up a Trust to manage Achimota School lands first came from the OAA in 2016, and it was always meant to be an INDEPENDENT Trust, and not one controlled by the Minister of Education and the Ghana Education Service.

We will let you know as new developments emerge.

Ernest Aryeetey

OAA President