Indiscriminate sale of Accra lands must cease – Henry Quartey to Ga chiefs

Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, has called for an end to the indiscriminate sale of lands in the region.

Speaking at a 2021 Homowo lecture on Friday, August 14, 2021, Henry Quartey appealed to the chiefs and elders of the Ga state to stop selling lands in the capital without recourse to any plan.

According to him, the lack of plan in the sale of lands is a cause in the slow-pace development in the region.

He bemoaned that the activities of some chiefs have brought the Ga state a bad reputation and charged them to conduct themselves in ways that befit their status.

“The chiefs take four acres of land and then exchange it for 4×4 vehicles. The outsiders will use those lands for real estate development and sell them to others to the region’s disadvantage. Not only that, there are a lot of buildings and houses in the region, but the landlords have rented them all out for commercial purposes. Some have also been leased for 40 or 50 years to non-indigenes,” he said.

Mr. Quartey also lamented the various chieftaincy disputes in the Greater Accra Region and called for an end to such things.

He reckons the development of the capital has been stalled by such activities and want the chiefs to address it.

“Some private individuals are also selling lands in Ga communities for US$300,000 to Chinese nationals. If they are unable to pay too, then they exchange the lands with cars. There are also about 30,000 land litigation issues at the court involving Ga Chiefs. No wonder, there are some communities with about four chiefs,” he said.

“Once more, I beg you, the chiefs, to stop selling the [Accra] lands,” Mr. Quartey pleaded.