The management of the Kakum National Park in the Central region is downplaying safety concerns raised about the facility.
Joy FM’s Manasseh Azure Awuni, who visited the facility recently, reported that there was visible wear and tear on the canopy walkway, describing it as a death trap.
Four out of the seven bridges of the walkway were fast deteriorating, which appeared very dangerous for patrons.
The canopy walkway is the main attraction for tourists from all over the world to that tropical rainforest in Ghana.
At the main entrance, officials of the park count tourists entering the park while fruit sellers and tappers of Kakum Palm wine make brisk business. The procedure is not the only thing that has not changed over the last seven years.
Apart from the neat and well-maintained washrooms, all the facilities there are deteriorating.
“At the time of my visit, eight buses carrying about six hundred children from the Teshie and Lartebiokoshie Junior Youth Fellowship of the Presby Church had just arrived.
“Like the hundreds of tourists who had arrived before them, they had to stand in the car park and wait for their turn to walk on the canopy. There are no seats for tourists waiting. There’s also no shelter in the event of rain,” Manasseh recounted.
One section of the park that has grown old is the visitor centre. It contains information about the history of the park and exhibition of flora and fauna of the park, which is home to endangered species.
The seven bridges making the canopy walkway is always an exhibition of fear and bravery. But the deterioration of the walkway will scare even for the brave, a critical look at the deteriorating walkway is frightening.
“I discovered broken wooden boards, torn nets and broken metals especially on the first four bridges of the walkway. Some ropes holding the suspended bridge appear loose at the time of my visit.”
When these concerns were put to Jonathan Nyaaba, who manages the visitors centre, he denied their existence.
Jonathan Nyaaba challenged the existence of such wear and tear on the walkway, saying, “That is a fallacy; it’s truly fallacy.”
“Of course, it’s broken but there is no problem with it,” he maintained.
Having listened to the explanation, Manasseh said he “had to give up because it appeared the eye of a curious journalist may be seeing something which does not exist.”
Management of the park assured that, the 20-year-old Canopy Walkway, will soon witness a complete overhaul.
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