Omanghana
A dispute has erupted between TDC Ghana Limited and the Tema Metropolitan Assembly over the legality of an ongoing government development project at Community 1, Site 3.
The disagreement escalated on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, when a TMA task force led by Metropolitan Chief Executive Ebi Bright moved to the site, stopped construction and demolished portions of the contractor’s work and hoardings.
The two state institutions have since offered conflicting accounts, with the Assembly insisting that the development lacked the required permits while TDC maintains that it was operating under a longstanding institutional arrangement.
According to the TMA, its intervention followed a petition submitted by residents who raised concerns about activities at the construction site.
The residents alleged that about 50 trees had been cut down, existing structures had been demolished, playgrounds and green spaces had been appropriated and access routes had been obstructed.
Bright said the Assembly inspected the area and found evidence supporting some of the complaints.
She maintained that the TMA is the statutory planning and development authority within the metropolis and must approve every physical development undertaken in its jurisdiction.
The Assembly accused TDC of beginning work on land designated as an open space for public facilities without obtaining the necessary statutory permits.
It cited provisions of the Local Governance Act, the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act and the TMA’s bylaws on unauthorised development as the basis for its intervention.
Bright said TMA officers had visited the site on two occasions and directed the developers to stop work while the issues were being addressed. According to her, those instructions were ignored.
The Assembly said the task force was therefore deployed to halt construction and restore access routes for residents.
TTDC Managing Director Courage Makafui Nunekpeku, however, described the exercise as “extremely unfortunate.”
He argued that TDC has historically undertaken developments within the Tema Acquisition Area under a longstanding government-to-government arrangement without obtaining conventional building permits from local assemblies.
Nunekpeku cited projects such as the Community 26 affordable housing development, TDC Towers at Community 2 and shops at Community 18 as examples of that institutional practice.
He said the Community 1 project formed part of a wider government program that had passed through the necessary procurement and approval processes.
According to him, approvals had been obtained from the Ministry of Finance, the Public Procurement Authority and the Ministry of Works and Housing before construction began.
TDC also challenged the timing of the Assembly’s action. Nunekpeku said the company received a seven-day ultimatum from the TMA and submitted an official response explaining its position before the deadline expired.
However, the Assembly proceeded to stop the work and demolish parts of the site on August 12.
The dispute now centers on whether TDC’s longstanding institutional practice exempts its projects from current metropolitan planning and permitting requirements. That legal and administrative question has not yet been resolved.
The Tema Traditional Council has appealed to both institutions to exercise restraint and settle their differences through dialogue.
Representing the Council, Stool Secretary Nii Amarh Somponu II called for an amicable inter-institutional resolution to prevent the disagreement from escalating or undermining security in the metropolis.
The controversy has also renewed debate over the protection of public spaces and the limits of the respective planning powers exercised by TDC and the TMA within Tema.
Source: Omanghana
