Ghana has become a target for some multinational companies in a calculated scheme to grab tracts of land for a pittance.

A Washington DC-based advocacy organization which sounded the alarm is working with local traditional authorities in the North and South Tongu Districts of the Volta Region to raise awareness about the land grabbing by these multinational corporations.

The Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) has mounted a campaign in the area to raise awareness among chiefs and the people to be wary of such multinationals engaged in the business of buying large tracts of land sometimes for as little as six dollars per hectare for nearly 100 years.

These predatory land deals which are often done without full disclosure are resold at exorbitant market prices to other multinationals, depriving the affected communities of their main livelihoods.

The Executive Director of the Africa Faith and Justice Network, Dr. Steven Nabieu Rogers, said a few chiefs are the ones aiding these multinationals engaged in the wanton purchase and sale of fertile lands.

He said the situation has led to a lot of family disputes, while accusing some officials of the Land Commission of being part of the scheme.

Citing Kanule, a small village in the Ho District of the Volta Region, Dr. Rogers said a Chinese distillery company has leased large tracts of lands surrounding a small settler community for the purpose of brewing alcohol.

According to the residents, they are unable to farm, fetch firewood or do any meaningful agricultural activity because the company has taken over all the lands depriving an entire community of resources.

The company is also accused by the community of polluting their main water source by dumping industrial and human waste through a recently constructed canal, leading to an outbreak of skin rashes and waterborne diseases among some community members.

Under its Just Governance – Land Grabbing Prevention and Awareness programme in Ghana, the NGO is working with some of the chiefs and queen mothers in the affected communities to reverse the trend.

The Executive Director of AFJN cautioned chiefs and other landowners to desist from selling lands to multinational companies without due diligence and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.

He also advised them to employ the services of qualified lawyers in these land purchase or lease agreements.

He said the land grabbing by these multinationals are a real threat to Ghana’s food security and called on the government through its relevant agencies to ensure that these investments are done responsibly in a way that benefits the communities.