Residents in Tema have threatened to resist any attempts by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) to sell the Tema Library and Children’s playground.
The agitated residents claim the library and playground which have served the community for more than 30 years, are allegedly being sold to a private developer to construct a mall or casino.
They have warned against allowing the park to be used for commercial purposes, vowing to demonstrate until the ongoing work is completely stopped.
A video circulating online shows a site engineer supervising the clearing of the land by an excavator, with heaps of sand and stones seen on the compound of the library.
According to the youth, they were informed by the engineer that the park had been sold and that he was supervising the new development.
They also indicated that four individuals in TDC Task Force uniforms were supervising the activity.
A member of Tema Youth, Gideon Kodzo Tetteh in an interview on Citi News said, “The library is running as we speak; they organise sessions for people. Two weeks ago, we went there and found sand and stones on the site so we inquired, and they said some gentlemen claiming ownership of the land brought them at dawn.
“I inquired to know who the gentlemen were and if they showed permits and where they came from. The following day, we were there when the guys came. I confronted them, and they said they had documents, which they showed to us. I saw TDC, TMA, and a few names.
“I went to Tema West Assembly, and they said the place was sold a long time ago, even before they created Tema West Municipal Assembly. They told us to go to TDC, we went there, and they said they gave all government lands back to Tema West Assembly.
“It was a triangle of being tossed all over. I did my own checks and realized the arrangements started in 2012 under the leadership of then MCE, Kemphis Ofosu-Ware, and approval was given in 2013. TDC hasn’t given any official communication yet.”
Responding to this, the Protocol and Administrative Officer at TDC, Ian Okwe, clarified that the library is part of the Community 5 playing ground. He indicated that the private developer had been asked to stop work.
“The library is part of Community 5 playing ground. There’s nowhere on our layout that there’s a land designated for the library. In the living space for the park, the library is part of the land used for that particular playground. The request came that TDC should release the playing ground to TMA for the construction of an ultra-modern playing ground.
As it stands now, nobody has brought any drawings indicating that they are going to construct any casino or whatever there. Management’s attention has been brought to it, the Board chair of TDC went there, and ordered that they stop work,” he said.
The residents have called on the government to intervene and prevent the sale of the library and playground.
