Government says it will redevelop 80 acres of land near KIA into commercial hub
The government is planning to redevelop 80 acres of land around the Kotoka International Airport, stretching from Stanbic Heights, through Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) Regional Office, to the Ministry of Defence, into a modern commercial hub.
Agencies located within the enclave, including the Ghana Police Service, DVLA, Ghana Airport Company Limited, and Ghana Meteorological Agency, will be relocated to Kwabenya, close to the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission.
Mr Samuel A. Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, at a press briefing in Accra, said a modern DVLA office complex, accommodations for the Ghana Airport Company Limited and the Ghana Meteorological Agency, and a workshop complex for the Ghana Police Service were being constructed at Bohye around the Kwabenya area.
He said 504 one- and two-bedroom self-contained housing units with a school complex, a clinic, and a recreational area made up of an astroturf football field and a tennis court, together with a standby generator, was almost completed for the Ghana Police Service.
The edifice, Mr Jinapor stated, was about 95 per cent complete and expected to be handed over by the end of March 2023.
He said a National Land Conference was held in December 2022, to, among other things, increase public awareness and potential benefits of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), foster high level support and ownership of interventions to tackle land governance, and empower, and develop the capacities of land sector stakeholders.
The Minister said the Lands Commission, in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, would provide protection for all public lands and prevent them from further encroachment.
He said the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, in accordance with Article 267 of the Constitution, mobilised and disbursed a total of GH¢125,000,000.00 to the stated beneficiaries, and facilitated the establishment of some customary land secretariats in the Northern, Eastern, and Greater Accra Regions.
The Ghana Boundary Commission has also completed the construction of a land boundary terminus (Pillar 1) on the Ghana – Togo border and paved the way for the commencement of the second phase of the boundary delineation.
He announced that the Commission would hold an international conference this year on “Maritime Boundaries and International Law in Africa” to develop and strengthen stakeholders’ capacities in relevant maritime frameworks and laws, as well as maritime boundary dispute pre-emption and resolution.
He said the Government was committed to reconstructing the Appiatse community into a modern, green, and sustainable community as a model for rural development, after the tragic explosion incident on January 20, 2022.
“Construction began last year, and the first phase of the project is about 40 per cent complete. The phase includes the construction of 124 housing units made up of two- to-seven-bedroom houses, a school block with sanitary facilities, and the construction of roads within the community,” he said.
He said the Forestry Commission, with the support of the Ghana Armed Forces, had cordoned off all Forest Reserves and Wildlife Protected Areas to rid them of illegal mining and illegal logging.
The Minister said 212 suspects were arrested by the Rapid Response Team of the Commission for various forest and wildlife offences and that the suspects were standing trial at various courts across the country.
Source: GNA