6 days Ago By Ghana News
A former board member of the Tema Development Company Limited (TDC), Davis Ansah Opoku, has defended the sale of large tracts of land to individuals allegedly linked to former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, during the tenure of his predecessor, Alice Abena Ofori-Atta. Addressing the issue on Metro TV on April 11, 2025, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker questioned whether the individual who acquired the lands, Alice Abena Ofori-Atta, should be disqualified from purchasing them simply because she shares a surname with former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta. He argued that bearing the name “Ofori-Atta” should not automatically imply wrongdoing or impropriety in the transaction, adding that the said individual is a Ghanaian who bears the right to freely and legally acquire lands.
“The fact that somebody is called Ofori-Atta and purchases land at Tema Community 24 does not mean it’s related to Ken Ofori-Atta and even if the person is related to him, and so what? Is the person not a Ghanaian? Has the person been given a special price to pay?” he asked. Opoku Ansah, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, further stated that he sees nothing wrong with Ghanaians, including politically-exposed persons, expressing interest in and acquiring prime lands — as long as the acquisitions are done through legal and transparent means. He explained that the Tema Development Company, as a state institution, operates within its mandate, which includes developing properties and selling land, among other responsibilities at the Tema Development Area.
“These are lands that are not being bought for GH¢5,000 or GH¢10,000. In fact, these are lands that are being sold between $40,000 to $60,000 and so, if you are selling these serviced plots and you have advertised it and the family says that we want to come and buy a portion of it and develop for maybe our kids, what is wrong with that? What is wrong with that?” he continued. The lawmaker, who also serves as the Vice Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, expressed concern over the conduct of some newly appointed heads of state institutions.
He criticised what he described as deliberate attempts to portray the previous NPP administration in a negative light by suggesting it was involved in acts of wrongdoing. “You see, I know there’s this competition among CEOs of state institutions to want to unearth some wrongs in the previous administration. There’s this competition and I mean, you see them holding press conferences and trying to create an impression that there’s been some state capture,” he added.
Using himself as an example, Opoku Ansah said he also owns a piece of land at Tema, which he claims to have acquired legally. He condemned the tendency of some Ghanaians to unjustly criticise and “bastardise” the name Ofori-Atta, questioning whether individuals bearing the name are not Ghanaians who equally deserve the right to own properties legally and without prejudice. “I have land in Community 24 and I bought the land with my money.
I have documents to the land and I’m not too sure anybody can say that I wrongly acquired that property. Because if TDC is mandated to sell lands and they are selling it and somebody goes to buy. What is wrong with that? Unless we are being told that if you are called Ofori-Atta in this country, you are not supposed to enjoy anything Ghana,” he concluded.
His comments come in response to recent disclosures by the Managing Director of TDC, Courage Makafui Nunekpeku, who said that an internal review of the company’s operations uncovered the sale of large tracts of land to individuals allegedly connected to former Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, during the tenure of his predecessor, Alice Abena Ofori-Atta. The disclosure has raised concerns over the transparency and fairness of land distribution during the period of the former finance minister. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, April 10, 2025, Nunekpeku explained that the sale of these lands occurred under questionable circumstances, sparking the need for further investigations to ensure accountability and avoid any misuse of power.
He stressed that the discovery of these transactions was part of an effort to expose irregularities within the system. “Every 10 plots here belong to Ofori-Atta. Yes, every 10 plots.
And why? Is that the only family we have in Ghana? These are facts. Nobody can change it. They can come and challenge me, and I’ll meet them anywhere in court, with records, with documents.
They can come and challenge me,” he asserted, indicating that he had solid evidence to back up his claims. Nunekpeku further emphasised the extent of the land deals, stating that companies linked to the former finance minister had been allocated vast amounts of land, ranging from 4 to 30 acres. MAG/AE Meanwhile, catch up on the concluding part of the story of Fort William, where children were sold in exchange for kitchenware, others, below:.
