Cape Coast Metro under pressure as residents demand relocation of cemetery

Cape Coast Metro is under pressure as residents demand relocation of cemetery. Opinion leaders from Mpeasem, Brimsu, Asinadze and Tayido in the Cape Coast Metropolis have threatened to shut down the Asokyiano Cemetery over concerns about public health and environmental safety. The community leaders claim the cemetery has reached full capacity and allege that burials are now being conducted close to roadsides.

Ebusuapanyin Nana Abekombe and Chairman Joseph Morgue Eduaful said they would close down the cemetery by the end of June 2026 if authorities fail to address their concerns. According to them, several attempts to engage the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly over the issue have not yielded any positive response. The opinion leaders are calling on the Assembly to relocate the cemetery from the area and engage them in finding a lasting solution. Residents living around the cemetery are reportedly unable to drill boreholes because institutions including the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and Ghana Water Limited consider the groundwater in the area unsafe for human consumption. They also alleged that two sachet water production companies operating in the area were shut down due to the cemetery's proximity.

Some youth in the communities pledged their support for the planned action, insisting that they could no longer allow burials to continue at the cemetery under the current conditions. According to them, there have been instances where skeletal remains of dead bodies were seen within the cemetery area. The youth called on families intending to bury relatives to consider alternative burial locations if authorities fail to engage community leaders and address the issue before the stated deadline.