Prof McBagonluri calls for review of China Mall siting near Accra International Airport

The President of Academic City University, Fred McBagonluri, has raised concerns over the location of a new China Mall situated near Accra International Airport, warning that it could pose national security and sovereignty risks.

In a post shared on X on May 11, 2026, Prof McBagonluri questioned the decision to locate the commercial facility close to such a strategic national asset.

“Every nation has its security assets. An airport is a strategic asset. It’s an entry point into your country,” he stated, stressing the need to safeguard sensitive national infrastructure.

According to him, the positioning of the mall raises serious questions about Ghana’s security planning and regulatory oversight.

“By the time planes actually get to that China Mall, they’re already landing,” he remarked.

Things are not normal; Ghana must have honest conversations on security - koranteng Adjei

Prof McBagonluri compared the situation to practices in other countries he has visited, arguing that access to areas surrounding critical infrastructure is usually tightly controlled.

“I have travelled through China, Singapore, Malaysia and Europe. You still don’t get access to their places of security,” he said.

He further expressed concern about the implications of such developments on Ghana’s sovereignty and control over strategic national spaces.

“When we talk about retailers and what is happening to local retailers, that’s a different question. But the fact that this edifice is right at the belly tells me that something fundamentally is wrong in our national security environment,” he stated.

According to him, the matter extends beyond commerce and touches directly on national integrity and decision-making.

“It’s about sovereignty. For me, when I saw that, I was like, have we lost so much of our integrity as a people that we are able to just licence our sovereignty to the highest bidder? It doesn’t make any sense,” he added.

He concluded by calling for a review of such planning decisions, insisting that the facility should not have been located in its current position.

Watch the video below

President of Academic City University, Prof. Fred McBagonluri, has raised concerns over the location of a China Mall in close proximity to Ghana’s international airport, warning that the situation poses significant national security risks and undermines the country’s sovereignty.… pic.twitter.com/RGnF0s30nC

— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) May 11, 2026