Marathon walker King Klottey reaches Northern Region on long walk to Accra

Pinned summary · as of 06:55

King Klottey, a Ghanaian marathon walker, has crossed into the Northern Region on a trek from the Burkina Faso border to Accra that he is using to press for protection of the environment. Officials in the region met him on the route and promised their help.

What we know

• King Klottey is walking from the Burkina Faso border to Accra and has reached the Northern Region, where he was greeted by regional security officials.
• The walk is meant to draw public attention to threats to Ghana's natural resources, with the security liaison officers who met him promising support for his mission.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Reports differ on what the walk is about. Kumasi Mail said King Klottey is campaigning under the banner "Let's Save Our Water Bodies" against the pollution and destruction of rivers and streams, while Graphic Online said the aim is to warn about illegal mining, known as galamsey.
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  Reports differ on the timing. Kumasi Mail said the walk began on 17 September and should finish in Accra on 10 October, a 23-day trek, whereas Graphic Online called it a two-week walk that started on the previous Saturday at the Paga border.
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  Kumasi Mail said King Klottey was met at Tamale Jubilee Park on Tuesday, 22 September, by Chief Satia Naa Adam, who serves as the region's security liaison officer and stood in for the Regional Minister and the regional coordinating council. He urged communities to change how they treat the environment; this account has not been matched by other reports.
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  King Klottey told Kumasi Mail that the walk is an advocacy drive to rally communities against water pollution rather than a test of endurance, and that damage to water bodies hurts farming, fishing, health and livelihoods. He asked government bodies, chiefs, civil society and businesses to join in; no other report carries these remarks.
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  Graphic Online reported that Martin Kudjo Dogbley, the Ghana Revenue Authority Customs Division's Chief Revenue Officer for Paga, received the walker at the border. He praised the effort and urged people to stop dumping refuse in water bodies and practising open defecation. He also suggested that money spent fighting illegal mining could fund development instead; this has not been confirmed elsewhere.
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  Graphic Online quoted RSM Adams Mohammed, a regional security liaison officer, as saying that galamsey and the wrecking of water bodies endanger public safety and that tackling it needs everyone's effort. He also encouraged King Klottey to persevere to the end of the journey; no other report carries this.

Why it matters for Ghana

Rivers and streams supply drinking water, irrigation and fish to communities across northern Ghana, so pollution and mining damage reach farms, clinics and schools alike. The walk shows how pressure on water resources is being raised at the grassroots, and the pledges from regional officials indicate whether local authorities will back citizen-led campaigns along the route to Accra.