National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has publicly criticized Tracy Owusu Addo, wife of rapper Sarkodie, over her comments on the ownership of the Tema Port.
Gyamfi dismissed claims that former President John Dramani Mahama sold the Tema Port to a foreign entity.
He clarified that the arrangement was a Build Operate Transfer (B.O.T) agreement.
This agreement allowed a company to finance the port’s expansion and development, manage it for 15 years, and then transfer full control back to the government.
Gyamfi emphasized that this strategy was adopted to save government funds for other developmental projects, which would help alleviate citizens’ hardships.
“I recently heard Sarkodie’s wife displaying ignorance about why Mahama would sell Tema Port. However, Build Operate and Transfer (B.O.T) is not equivalent to selling a port. It’s a financial strategy for government projects that avoids upfront expenditure. The company in question was initially granted a 20-year concession by Kufuor’s administration in 2004.
“With this backdrop, Mahama negotiated for them to use their finances to enhance the port, and by 2030, after 15 years, the state will regain ownership. Currently, the state still retains a percentage. It’s important to clarify this due to the misinformation circulating,” he explained in Twi during an interview with Adom TV.
This clarification came in response to Tracy Owusu Addo’s comments on the impounded Global Fund donation of essential health supplies at the Tema Port. Her statements, intended as an informal explanation, quickly gained a political dimension.
Tracy’s commentary suggested that the government holds only a 15% stake in the Tema Port, with a French billionaire controlling the facility.
She linked a 2021 Africa Confidential report titled: “SPECIAL REPORT: How Vincent Bollor won control of Ghana’s biggest port,” which further fueled the debate.
Reactions to her post were mixed, with some supporting and others criticizing her perspective.