Former National Security Advisor Brigadier General (Rtd) Joseph Nunoo-Mensah has stated that a government with a vision for the country would not tear down and sell an iconic building like the Trade Fair Center.
In an interaction with TV3, he indicated that the demolition of the Trade Fair Center has rendered many Ghanaian citizens unemployed, as they once depended on it for their livelihoods.
He pointed out that one of the reasons why Accra’s busiest markets, such as Makola, are crowded with traders hawking on the pavements is that many of them are victims of the Trade Fair Center’s collapse.
The former National Security Advisor Brigadier General indicated that the building served as an avenue where people could easily trade and sell, hence, reduced pressure and traffic congestion in town.
According to him, there will come a time when Ghana will be hollowed out due to the habits of certain individuals who are fond of selling the country’s assets.
He added that the current generation and those yet to be born may be left with nothing if the behavior of Ghanaian leaders is not checked.
“What is happening to Ghana is that we are prepared to sell our assets and destroy them. This is what saddens me sometimes at my age. In a few years I am gone. I don’t know what I am leaving behind for my grandchildren.
We are leaving them with nothing. Today, as I speak with you the road to Kingsway, Cocobod, the road there is choked, you can’t drive on it. Mothers are sitting on the road and selling there and nobody cares about them. If the government has brains it will not demolish and sell Trade Fair Center because people shop there. It is terrible,” he added.
On February 16, 2020, the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited (GTFCL) demolished properties of its tenants at the Trade Fair Centre to pave way for the redevelopment of the site.
Among the tenants at the trade fair centre whose properties were taken down under the supervision of armed security personnel by a bulldozer included Universal Labels & Packaging Co. Ltd and Colour Planet, a printing company owned by Raymond Archer, a journalist, the Fantasy Dome etc.
GTFCL explained that Since 2017, the Ghana Trade Fair Company has been working with key stakeholders to redevelop the site. A Masterplan has been approved by the Board and Cabinet, and on June 28, 2019, a horizontal developer was secured with PPA approval to provide the necessary infrastructure.
This infrastructure is crucial for leasing the site to private developers, who will develop various facilities outlined in the Masterplan to support the Ghana Trade Fair Company’s Convention and Exhibition Facilities.
A government with ‘brains’ will not demolish and sell Trade Fair Center – Joseph Nunoo-Mensah#HotIssues pic.twitter.com/uNzX8kH7O0
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 18, 2024
who sold Sunyani, Kumasi and Tamale Catering Rest Houses and to whom?