TDC defends statutory mandate, says its authority to develop Tema predates TMA

TDC Ghana Ltd has defended its right to develop projects in Tema, asserting its authority predates the creation of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA). This clarification emerges from a dispute between the two entities over an infilling housing project at Community One, Site Three, which has sparked discussions on planning approvals, land use, and the roles of each institution.

In a statement, TDC emphasized that its role in Tema's development is based on statutory provisions from over seven decades ago. Established in 1952 under the Tema Development Corporation Ordinance, TDC acquired approximately 63 square miles of land through a 125-year lease, managing it for planning, laying out, and developing the township.

This transformation turned Tema into an industrial and residential city, guided by the Town and Country Planning Ordinance and subsequent amendments. TDC stressed that local government authorities, including the TMA, established after TDC began its work, neither created nor granted TDC its development mandate. The company referred to the Tema Development Corporation (Amendment) Instrument, 1989 (L.I.

1468), noting that only certain municipal responsibilities like road and building maintenance were transferred to the Assembly. It maintained that these changes did not diminish TDC's central responsibility to plan, lay out, and develop the Tema area, including executing housing schemes and developing industrial and commercial sites.

TDC also pointed to a Joint Technical Evaluation Committee that previously managed development permit applications, aiming to address overlaps in responsibilities through consultation and coordination. Additionally, TDC highlighted reforms in 2017 that converted it into a limited liability company while maintaining its original functions, expanding its operational scope to acquire land for real estate development and plan and construct towns and cities within and outside Ghana.

The company argued that its statutory role has grown, not diminished, and called for resolving disputes over development activities in the Tema Acquisition Area through cooperation, dialogue, and respecting the legal mandates of both institutions. This comes ahead of a meeting convened by President John Dramani Mahama to address concerns surrounding the Community One, Site Three project and determine the way forward.