Military lands not for sale – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama, who is also the Commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), has assured that lands belonging to the military are not for sale.

There were allegations that lands belonging to the military were being sold to private developers but GAF moved in to refute those allegations, describing them as false and half-truths.

President Mahama gave the strongest indication that government will ensure that lands belonging to the Armed Forces do not find their way into the hands of individuals and private developers.

“We have discussed the proposed Public-Private Partnerships that the various security services have intended to do and asked them to work with the Lands Commission, Ghana Institute of Surveyors and the Land Evaluation Board in order that under the PPPs we get value for money.”

President Mahama was speaking at the commissioning of a 22-bed self-contained officers' mess in the Western Region city of Takoradi.

The new officers' apartment forms part of government's intervention adopted to address the accommodation challenges of GAF.

President Mahama assured that similar housing projects are being constructed for the various security agencies to ensure their shelter needs are addressed.

“I want to reiterate government’s commitment to ensuring that the morale and welfare of our personnel in uniform are well catered for to enable them perform their constitutional mandate effectively,” he said.

The new 22-bed apartment has been named after the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Michael Sampson-Oje for his dedication and contribution to professionalism within the military.

Air Vice Marshal Sampson-Oje called for good maintenance culture amongst service personnel to prolong the lifespan of the building.

The building is a PPP between the Government of Ghana and Paragon Company Limited.