Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed that 11 acres of the Trade Fair lands are missing in the records of the Lands Commission.

He says the Lands Commission identified this loss after a demarcation was made by an individual/institution, which is yet to be identified.

Okudzeto Ablakwa, who made this disclosure while speaking on Key Points on Accra-based TV3, indicated that the loss of the 11 acres was identified in October 2020.

Okudzeto Ablakwa used the opportunity to acknowledge his colleagues who are sponsoring a private member’s bill to help fight state capture.

Yaw Buaben Asamoa, who was also on the panel, indicated that the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources should be sacked or resign because, in the two areas where he has oversight, he has failed woefully.

“The Minister has failed in the two key areas of his ministry; he has to resign. Somebody must be held accountable.

“That is why labour unions are up in arms. They should add state capture and land grabbing to their grievances. In the case of land grabs and galamsey heads must roll, and if heads don’t roll, then there is complicity,” he said.

The Trade Fair occupies a total land area measuring approximately 236.96 acres and was acquired by an Executive Instrument (E1.10) of 1967 entitled State Lands (Accra – Labadi, Trade Fair Site) for the project.

Trade Fair Redevelopment

The government announced that the Trade Fair is being redeveloped.

The Centre, upon completion, would have an ultra-modern mixed-use commercial estate with convention and exhibition facilities such as shopping malls, offices, trade villages, leisure centres, hotels, cultural parks and amusement facilities.

Dr Agnes Adu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trade Fair Centre, announced this at a media briefing in Accra.

She said the redevelopment of the Centre would position it as a trade facilitation and business promotion facility to support businesses to showcase their goods and services to an increasingly sophisticated, demanding and competitive global marketplace.

The Centre, she said, would provide a modern mixed-use, smart, green and sustainable enclave, which would promote the core mandate of the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited.

She said the Centre would occupy a 150-acre area and would also serve as a hub for domestic, sub-regional and international trade and commerce hub.

It would also host locally-made technology innovations and become a centre for commercial, research and high-end manufacturing products to support the Government’s industrialisation drive and help small and medium-scale enterprises to thrive.