Traditional leaders purified the land before handing it over to the investors
The Tema Traditional Council (TTC) has performed purification rituals on the ‘sakasaka’ park at Ashaiman and officially handed over the land to the Fushian Group of China.
The piece of land which straddles the Tema end of the Accra-Tema motorway, is about 60 acres and currently houses scrap dealers and other artisans while a part is also used for farming.
Nii Armarh Soumponu II, Tema Shipi, explained that as a traditional owner of the land, it was incumbent on them to purify the land and make it “soft” for any investor interested in bringing development to Ashaiman.
Nii Soumponu said the intended project from the Fushian Group would help decongest and develop the area adding that, “Ashaiman has been adjudged as the fastest human developing area in West Africa”.
On the issue of whether the TDC Development Company had allocated the same land to the Sentuo Group Limited, another Chinese Company for the construction of an industrial complex under the one district one factory initiative, he indicated that as the traditional owners of the land, “We don’t know Sentuo, these people started the process about one and half years ago, we are only hearing about Sentuo, we don’t know them, but we only know Fushian”.
Mr. Kwesi Poku Bosompem, Spokesperson for Jeomart Group, indicated that consultancy group, often fished for Chinese investors to invest in Ghana hence the presence of the Fushian Group in Ashaiman.
Mr Bosompem said Fushian, which was a largest investment group in Asia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) in the presence of the Deputy Ghana Ambassador to China after a team led by Mr. Albert Boakye Otchere visited China and familiarized themselves with a similar ultramodern business centres constructed by the company.
He added that the Tema Traditional Council was duly informed and drawings of the said project shown to them leading to their acceptance for the project to take off to decongest Ashaiman.
He said 19 acres out of the 60-acre land would be used to develop an ultramodern transport terminal, hotels, and assembly plants among others announcing that the investors would now display drawing of the project on the land now that the TTC had officially handed over the land to them.
Mr. Bosompam indicated that a commitment fee of GHC800,000 had been paid to the Assembly, adding that the needed permits from the Assembly and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be acquired for the project to commence in two months’ time.
The scrap dealers would be incorporated into the project to feed the industries with the needed materials and that adequate compensation would be given to affected people who would be relocated, he said.
Nii Adjei Kraku II, Paramount Chief of Tema and Nii Annan Adzor, Ashaiman Mantse, expressed joy at the intended project as according to them, it would provide jobs for residents as well as help beautify and decongest the Municipality.
They urged residents to cooperate with the investors to ensure a successful project.
