The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), Reindorf Twumasi Ankrah, has dismissed claims that government is selling lands belonging to the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), describing the allegations as misleading.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme, Mr Ankrah clarified that the land in question does not belong to VALCO but to the Tema Development Corporation (TDC).
He explained that VALCO only had a right of entry on the land and that its lease had expired.
According to him, in April 2017, VALCO wrote to TDC to request a renewal of the lease, but TDC responded that the land size was excessive and that part of it had already been earmarked for a government-led project.
“I am employed by the government and serve the state, so I carry out any tasks assigned to me by the President,” Mr Ankrah said. “The President observed an industrial park in another country and expressed the desire to establish a similar facility in Ghana as part of his job creation agenda. As a result, we were tasked with this project.
“In April 2017, VALCO requested TDC to renew its expired lease. However, TDC informed us that the land area was too large and indicated that a portion had been set aside for a government-led project,” he added.
Mr Ankrah said TDC later agreed that VALCO should retain only the portion of land on which its plant is located. He disclosed that in October 2024, TDC formally notified VALCO that the remaining land had been taken back.
The GIADEC CEO noted that he subsequently engaged TDC to make land available to support partnerships with investors strictly for aluminium-related projects, in line with government’s industrialisation and job creation agenda.
He stressed that the decision is in the national interest, aimed at promoting value addition and employment, and insisted that no VALCO lands are being sold as claimed by some workers.
“Ultimately, TDC concluded that VALCO would retain the land where the plant is currently situated. In October 2024, TDC officially notified VALCO of the land reclamation. I then engaged TDC to make land available for partnerships with investors focused exclusively on aluminium-related projects. In the broader context, this initiative stands to benefit the country,” he said.
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