On a sunny Sunday at Adjen Kotoku commercial motor cycles popularly called okada could be seen everywhere.

A few minutes’ drive from the main township is the site dedicated to the construction of ultra modern facilities to house various businesses that will be relocated from the central business district of Accra and old Fadama.

A walk away is a building which is supposed to house a fire station. Near the fire station are two buildings, one a police station and the other a clinic. I could spot a senior high school block across the road and a market structure made of up 90 stores and two market sheds.
 

Too small
All seems set for a new community expected to host about 80 thousand traders from Accra’s biggest slum of Old Fadama. However, there are big problems in this new enclave.

The market is just too small to accommodate all the businesses expected to relocate here.

A community leader who spoke to me on condition of anonymity told me, “even the township when they intend ‘’marketing’’ or doing some business, it will not even be sizeable for the size of the township” This man, who I choose to call Owusu has been heavily involved in the project. He expressed concern about the fact that the facility which is supposed to house such a huge number of businesses is not even big enough for traders in that town alone.

Land sold
Owusu conducted me around and showed me some parts of the land earmarked for businesses that have been taken over by private persons.

“The other lands earmarked for construction are being sold out again, so I don’t know how government will develop those areas,” he said with some anger in his voice.
 

My checks also revealed that these lands have been sold to private persons because government has failed to compensate the traditional leaders of the town since an agreement was reached to allow the state to build on the land.
 

Government action

In the wake of these developments government has served notice of an imminent demolition of structures illegally sited on a parcel of land acquired for the relocation of traders at Old Fadama here in Accra.

Reacting to the report, deputy Works and Housing Minister, Vincent Oppong Asamoah told Joy News the ministry would demolish all structures put up by encroachers. “We have even tasked the GA West Municipal Assembly chief executive to take personal responsibility of this to ensure that structures are demolished.”

He explained that even though government had acquired the land from traditional authorities of Adjen-Kotoku, no compensation has been paid to them yet.

“As I’m speaking to you now money has been made available” he insisted.