Achimota School was founded in 1924. Since its inception, Achimota School has, and continues to, play a pivotal role in Ghana’s journey towards development into a modern nation state. Several notable individuals, political leaders, civil servants, business leaders, educators, doctors, lawyers, military men and women, and other professionals of exceptional caliber have been educated at Achimota School. Always a significant leader in national life, Achimota served as the Headquarters of the West African War Council during World War II; and it is the cradle from which most of Ghana’s publicly funded universities were originally conceived and nurtured. The land on which Achimota School is situated was acquired in 1921 by the then Gold Coast government. This is state owned land that is vested in the Government of Ghana for the people of Ghana. In the past decade and a half this land, acquired by the state expressly for the public benefit, has been placed under very severe threat! Private developers have targeted the lands designated as Achimota School land to the detriment of the school’s capacity to meet the diverse needs of its ever growing body of students. The parliament of Ghana and the courts have been involved in efforts to arrest the situation but these efforts appear to have yielded little positive impact. To the contrary, as we speak, developers are now encroaching on inhabited school land which is presently the site of two staff bungalows. These developers – as yet to be identified – have ordered the School’s teachers who are residents of the bungalows to vacate the bungalows so that they can begin demolition of Achimota School’s buildings! We need to act now to stop the illegal encroachment activity immediately! We are calling on all Ghanaians and friends of Achimota School to sign this petition to send a clear message to the Ghana Government that we cannot allow the ongoing encroachment, illegal sale and outright theft of school lands by private individuals and developers to become another abiding negative feature of our national life. In the particular case of Achimota School lands, a prized national heritage and our immediate concern in this petition, such encroachment and theft threatens opportunity to expand and enhance the quality of education for future generations and, thus, the very prosperity of our nation! We respectfully request that the President of the Republic of Ghana take immediate action to: -          request Ghana’s security agencies to secure the geographic boundaries of the Achimota School land; -          place a moratorium on all sales, development and registration of Achimota School land; and -          undertake a survey and clearly demarcate the boundaries of Achimota School land. Second, we call on the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, and the Chairpersons of the Education and Local Government Committees to undertake an urgent public inquiry and investigate the sale, encroachment and theft of Achimota School lands in order to determine the history of such activity and prevent further encroachment and illegal sale activity. Third, we ask that the Attorney General of the Republic of Ghana rigorously enforce the Public Lands (Protection) Decree, 1974 (N.R.C.D. 240), and any amendments thereto, and take legal action against developers and other parties that have illegally encroached  or sold Achimota School land. Fourth, we ask that the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Accra Metropolitan Assembly immediately cease issuance of permits to developers for illegal construction or development activity on Achimota School land. Fifth, we ask that the Chief Executive of the Lands Commission request the Land Registration Division to immediately cease (and with retrospective effect) registration of any illegal purchases of Achimota School land, and decline future applications for registration of Achimota School land under the terms of the Land Title Registration Act 1986 (PNDCL 152), and any amendments thereto; and that the Lands Commission’s Public and Vested Lands Management Division ensures that Achimota School lands are managed and vested in conformity with its original purpose, as required by the provisions of the Lands Commission Act 767 of 2008; and that the Director of the Land Commission’s Survey and Mapping Division undertake a survey and clearly demarcate the boundaries of the Achimota School land. Finally, we ask that the Board of Governors and Administration of Achimota School provide full disclosure and give a complete written account and report of the School’s attempt to sell land, the amount of deposits collected, and the disposition of such deposits! We the undersigned alumni of Achimota School, Ghanaians, and friends of education in Ghana are determined and willing to take a firm stand to end the encroachment and illegal sale of Achimota School land once and for all! We are acting to protect the legacy of the Founders of Achimota School to ensure that the land that they acquired for educational purposes are held for such purpose in these times and future years to benefit current and future generations of students!