The Member of Parliament (MP) representing South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has raised concerns regarding the alleged sale of the land housing the Tema Children’s Library, originally constructed by Ghana’s inaugural President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
According to Dafeamekpor, the land has purportedly been sold to a private investor, a Chinese man.
On Thursday, October 12, 2023, the MP shared these allegations through a post on Twitter.
In the post, he further claimed that the Tema Development Company (TDC), under the management of Alice Ofori-Atta, facilitated the sale of the land where the park and library stand to a Chinese individual who plans to build a casino on the site.
In Dafeamekpor’s post, he emphasized the historical significance of the land, as it was originally designated for the Tema Children’s Library during Nkrumah’s development of Tema Township.
“This is the land containing Tema Children’s Library. This was allocated when Nkrumah built Tema Township.
“Today, TDC led by Alice Ofori Atta has decided to sell off the Children’s Library land in Tema to a Chinese man for purposes of building a casino. Yes, you heard me, a casino,” parts of the post reads.
The MP expressed concern about the ongoing construction activity, evidenced by a video shared in the post, showing trenches being dug for the erection of a wall.
A man featured in the video questioned the ongoing construction, indicating that the land had seemingly been sold to a private investor. The man’s comments highlighted the need to investigate the parties involved in the transaction.
In response to these claims, Ian Ocquaye, the Protocol and Administrative Officer of TDC, refuted the allegations made by the MP. Ocquaye contended that the statements lacked factual basis and evidence. He clarified that public lands are overseen by the District, Municipal, or Metropolitan Assemblies, in adherence to the Local Government Act. According to Ocquaye, the TDC can only sublease land to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly for specific usage upon a formal request.
He presented documentation illustrating that the land in question was allocated to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly in 2012, following a formal request for a development project.
The TDC relinquished control over the land after that date and was not involved in any subsequent transactions regarding it.
The records also revealed that the land had been released to WB IPEX Limited in 2012 for the construction of a recreational center.
This is the land containing Tema Children’s Library. This was allocated when Nkrumah built Tema Township. Today, TDC led by Alice Ofori Atta has decided to sell off the Children’s Library land in Tema to a Chinese man for purposes of building a Casino. Yes you heard me, a Casino pic.twitter.com/S025zkHRRj— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) October 12, 2023