The recent revelation by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) concerning a significant land acquisition scheme involving a specific family, brings to light the distressing recurrence of unchecked land misappropriation that has plagued Ghana, particularly since the dawn of the year 2000.
The year 2000, marked by the peaceful transition of power under the Fourth Republic from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), should have marked the onset of enhanced governance. Instead, it ushered in an era of unfettered political profiteering.
Since then, the misuse of State lands by political figures has only worsened. Members of the nation’s two predominant political parties have seemingly engaged in a race to sell off state lands at bargain prices to their associates.
Without bias, it must be stated that the land transactions under the Akufo-Addo administration have been particularly flagrant. Treasured areas like the Achimota Forest and various Ramsar Sites, previously safeguarded from private ownership, were suddenly delineated and allocated to NPP loyalists and those with proximity to power.
The land grab extended well beyond Accra, encompassing regional capitals and major urban hubs across the nation, where public lands were indiscriminately disposed of to politically affiliated individuals.
Ironically, many state agencies now find themselves leasing office space within buildings erected on lands originally owned by the state. In some cases, politicians who acquired these lands at extremely low prices are now leasing back office structures to the government at exorbitant rates — a bitter and costly irony.
This practice is not just irrational but deeply disquieting. It constitutes a self-inflicted injury that needlessly depletes the national coffers and erodes public confidence.
Ghana is not akin to transient multinational corporations that lease space temporarily. The state is a permanent institution, deserving of permanent domiciles for its agencies.
While we commend recent strides in relocating certain institutions to their own purpose-built premises — such as the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) established in 2000, which has recently completed a commendable edifice — more extensive actions are imperative. The government must cease the prevalent trend of renting office spaces for public bodies.
The nation possesses ample land for the construction of suitable offices for all state agencies. Doing so will result in long-term cost savings and safeguard national assets from becoming tools of political patronage.
This publication calls upon the incumbent government to take resolute action. Let us terminate the cycle of vendoring state lands to private individuals who subsequently exploit the very government they once served. Public land ought to be dedicated to public welfare, not private gain.