Donkomi: How $700k state land at cantonment was sold to 13 govt officials for $11k

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed additional details regarding the sale of state lands at the AU Village/La Wireless enclave, which he alleges were sold to members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and appointees of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.

In recent statements, Ablakwa claimed that the lands were sold between 2020 and 2022 at prices significantly below their market value. Speaking on the “Good Morning Ghana” show on August 30, 2024, he disclosed that while the lands were valued at approximately $700,000 per plot, they were sold for as little as GH¢183,000 per plot, which is less than $12,000.

“I have been looking into their prices, how much these lands have been sold. Will you believe that land at Cantonments, the AU Village lands, do you know how much they sold it to the politicians? GH¢183,752 per plot,” Ablakwa said, reading from documents that purportedly detail the transactions.

He further emphasized that the leases for these plots were granted for 99 years, while the current market rate for such land ranges from $700,000 to $1.5 million.

Ablakwa listed several high-profile individuals, including NPP members and government appointees, who allegedly benefited from these transactions. Among the names mentioned were:

1. Kate Gyamfua (NPP Women’s Organiser) — Purchased land from President Akufo-Addo on August 31, 2022.
2. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal (Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture at the time) — Purchased on November 30, 2020.
3. Dr. Ernest Yedu Addison (Governor, Bank of Ghana) — Purchased on August 31, 2022.
4. Elsie Addo Awadzi (Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana) — Purchased on August 27, 2020.
5. Maxwell Opoku-Afari (Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana) — Purchased on August 31, 2022.
6. Joseph Boahen Aidoo (CEO, COCOBOD) — Purchased on October 30, 2020.
7. Dr. Janet Ampadu Fofie (Chairperson, Presidential Emoluments Committee) — Multiple purchases between June 2022 and October 2023.
8. Kwabena Mantey Jectey Nyarko (Board Member, Ghana Airport Company Limited) — Multiple purchases in 2022.
9. Anselm Ransford Adzete Sowah (Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada) — Purchased on October 14, 2020.
10. Ken Ofori-Atta’s Enterprise Life Assurance (Serving Finance Minister) — Purchased on December 15, 2023.
11. Georgina Theodora Wood (Former Chief Justice) — Purchased on October 15, 2020.
12. Akwasi Aboagye Atuah (Board Chair of SIC) — Purchased on October 14, 2020.
13. Anna Asare Oduro (Former NPP Women’s Organiser, Holland Chapter) — Purchased on February 25, 2021.

Ablakwa’s disclosures have sparked public outrage and raised concerns about transparency and accountability in the management of state assets. He has called for further investigations into these transactions, emphasizing the need for accountability in the use and allocation of public resources.