The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has directed Empire Cement Ghana Limited to submit a comprehensive plan to relocate its cement grinding and bagging facility away from the Densu Delta Ramsar Site.

In a directive dated October 28, 2026, and signed by the EPA’s Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, the Authority said a Closure Notice issued to the company on September 14, 2026, remained in force.

Empire Cement has been given 30 days to submit a detailed relocation strategy and operational transition plan.

The directive follows years of regulatory concerns over the facility’s location, particularly its proximity to residential communities, Panbros Salt Industries Limited and the environmentally sensitive Densu Delta Ramsar Site.

According to the EPA, concerns about the plant date back to June 2020, when the Authority first directed the company to halt construction and identify an alternative site due to land-use incompatibility.

Subsequent environmental assessments also found that large-scale cement manufacturing was unsuitable for the area, citing potential public health risks, flooding concerns and the movement of heavy-duty vehicles through surrounding communities.

Although Empire Cement obtained an Environmental Permit in October 2023, the permit required the company to submit a decommissioning plan and relocate before the permit expired.

The EPA said the permit conditions were varied in January 2024 following ministerial intervention. However, the Authority maintained that the underlying concerns over public health, flooding and heavy-vehicle traffic remained unresolved.

Petitions submitted by residents’ associations in the Weija-Gbawe area to the President and the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology also contributed to renewed calls for regulatory enforcement.

EPA outlines relocation requirements

Citing Section 35 of the Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124), the EPA has directed Empire Cement to submit a relocation plan outlining potential industrial sites, implementation timelines, transition arrangements and measures to protect workers.

The company must also identify an alternative location within a designated industrial zone and obtain the necessary environmental and land-use approvals, including conducting the required environmental impact assessments.

Additionally, Empire Cement is required to work with the EPA and relevant state institutions to establish an enforceable timetable for decommissioning the existing facility and rehabilitating the site.

The Authority has further directed the company to maintain all environmental safeguards and pollution-control measures required under its existing permit and the Closure Notice throughout the transition period.

The EPA warned that any unauthorised resumption of operations while the Closure Notice remains in force could attract sanctions under Act 1124.