Presidency orders TMA, TDC to resolve Tema development dispute
The Office of the President has directed the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and TDC Ghana Limited to resolve their longstanding dispute over development responsibilities in the Tema Metropolis.
In a letter dated August 28, 2026, the Presidency reaffirmed the TMA as the highest political and administrative authority in the Tema Metropolis, with responsibility for overall development, human settlements, municipal services, revenue mobilisation and local planning.
It also stated that the Assembly remains the local planning authority responsible for regulating physical development and issuing development and building permits within its jurisdiction.
TDC, meanwhile, was described as a commercially oriented real estate development company and not a municipal authority.
The directive follows a dispute over construction activities at Community One, Sites 3 and 8, where the TMA issued a stop-work order and later demolished parts of structures at the site.
The Assembly said the project had commenced without the required permits. TDC subsequently petitioned the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, and the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, seeking their intervention.
The enforcement action reportedly followed complaints from residents over the alleged felling of trees, demolition of existing structures, takeover of playgrounds and green belts, and obstruction of access to homes and businesses.
The TMA maintained that TDC’s ownership or management of land did not exempt the company from complying with physical planning and development regulations.
TDC, however, argued that it has a separate statutory mandate to plan, lay out and develop the Tema area and therefore should not be treated solely as a private developer operating under the authority of the Assembly.
The company traced its mandate to 1952, when the Tema Development Corporation was established to develop the new Tema township and port. It said approximately 63 square miles of land, known as the Tema Acquisition Area, was compulsorily acquired from the traditional authorities of Tema, Nungua and Kpone and placed under its management through a 125-year lease.
TDC further argued that although some municipal functions were transferred to the then Tema District Assembly in 1989, it retained responsibility for planning and developing the Tema area, including residential, industrial and commercial projects.
The company acknowledged the TMA’s authority over physical planning, development control and municipal administration but maintained that these responsibilities must be exercised alongside TDC’s own statutory and proprietary interests.
The dispute intensified following the demolition exercise, prompting TDC Managing Director Courage Makafui Nunekpeku to call for dialogue to resolve the matter.
Against this backdrop, the Presidency has directed the two institutions to establish a clear operational framework to guide their respective roles and prevent further disagreements.
President John Dramani Mahama expects the TMA and TDC to cooperate fully to achieve an immediate and lasting resolution.
The Presidency also warned that any further institutional confrontation, public dispute or failure to comply with the directive would be treated seriously.
Source:myjoyonline.com
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