Horse owners, trainers and jockeys mounted their horses and took to the streets of Borteyman on Tuesday in a fresh round of protests against the forceful demolition and takeover of the Accra Racecourse by armed men on August 22.
The demonstration, a peaceful march through the Borteyman area, culminated in a press conference at the Borteyman Sports Complex, where leaders of the horse racing community addressed journalists and renewed their demand for the return of their land.
Samuel Young Acheampong, a representative of the jockeys, said the community was yet to recover the demolished property at Borteyman, and that the loss had directly affected their livelihoods. He appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene, describing horse racing as a heritage sport dating back to 1923 that has long served as both a source of income and entertainment for many Ghanaians.
Acheampong questioned the basis on which Clement Dzato and his associates carried out the demolition, noting that no notice had been given beforehand. He traced the community’s history of displacement, explaining that the Accra Turf Club had originally been relocated from land now occupied by the Kempinski Hotel to make way for the NAM Conference in Accra, then moved again from Fadama after that site was encroached upon, before finally settling at Borteyman where it now faces the same threat.
We want our land back and for the right thing to be done,”
he said, adding that horse owners and race fans were appealing to government for action on the demolished racecourse.
Murtala Alhassan Veron, a member of the Accra Turf Club and treasurer of the Accra Horse Owners Association, said the protest was meant to register the community’s anger over what he described as an unlawful demolition.
Our message is simple. We are here to protest the unlawful demolition of our land. These horses are supposed to be in stables, but because the stables have been demolished, they are now on the streets,” he said.
Alhassan Veron warned that the demolition had left horses and their handlers exposed to danger, citing a history of horses being struck by vehicles while stranded on the streets.
Since 2008, we have lost many horses on the streets after they were hit by cars. We are young people, and this is our livelihood. We have already lost enough, and we are appealing to the government to come to our aid,” he said.
He accused Clement Dzato and his associates of carrying out the demolition without lawful authority and called for a full investigation into the matter. He further appealed to government to help rebuild the stables and tracks, stressing the toll the demolition had taken on businesses and families connected to the sport. “How are we going to pay our children’s school fees if our horses do not race?” he asked.
Edmund Kwei Charway, another member of the community, said the demolition had disrupted investments built around a shared passion for horses, which many in the group depend on for their livelihood.
Other representatives addressed the gathering in Twi, Ga and Hausa, reinforcing calls for government to reclaim and restore the Accra Racecourse.
Source: Samuel Okine.