Greenview International Limited, a cement bagging company at Tema is claiming it has been shortchanged in a land deal it reportedly entered into with COCOBOD, over a parcel of land situated at the Tema Port.
On-going investigations The Chronicle is conducting from the port community revealed that in early 2000, in a bid to end the monopoly enjoyed by GHACEM in the distribution of cement in the country, Nigerian business magnet Dangote showed interest to setup a cement bagging plant here.
Environmental challenges were cited when the sod-cutting took place close to the COCOBOD research plant. Residents of Tema Community ‘Two’, led by engineer Mr. Francis Tuyee, kicked against siting the plant close to the community and the COCOBOD research laboratory, which finding they argued was going to be contaminated.
COCOBOD also advanced its protest against the location of the plant, but later agreed with the Dangote group to relocate the research plant before they could establish their factory. Greenview International, the Dangote group, went ahead to pay $500,000 to COCOBOD about five years ago.
Meanwhile, the land on which the laboratory was situated was a lease from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA). The Chronicle investigations has meanwhile revealed that earlier, GPHA notified the cocoa company of its intention not to renew the lease agreement when it expired, and as such made provision for COCOBOD at Djata-Bu near Community ‘Three’, to house the laboratory just like the new Cocoa sheds.
WILMAR Africa, a Malaysian vegetable oil giant, attempted to establish its refinery on a land near the fishing harbor, but met resistance from the youth, and so GPHA decided to offer the oil company a new place. The only land available was to the west of the laboratory and so it was given to WILMAR Africa who are currently constructing the vegetable oil refinery.
An appeal was made by WILMAR Africa to GPHA for a bigger land to accommodate its flour mill, but the closest was the COCOBOD laboratory which lease was expiring. Now Greenview International want to put up permanent office block on the said land to vacate from its current temporary containerized administrative structure, but that cannot be done because GPHA has leased the land to WILMAR Africa.
STUDY TOUR OF INSTALLATIONS AND FACILITIES OF WILMAR INTERNATIONAL AND PORT OF SINGAPORE
On 7th February 2011, Director-General, Mr. Nestor P. Galley signed a letter to the Managing Director of WILMAR AFRICA LTD. and stated that in August 2010, the office of the Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority proposed to visit your company and the Port of Singapore with the Board of Directors and Management staff.
However, the visit could not materialize at the time. We are renewing our request for the proposed visit to take place during the last week of February 2011, or anytime convenient to both parties.
GPHA is governed by an eleven (11) member Board of Directors appointed by the Government of Ghana in 2009. The members of the Board have different professional backgrounds, some of which are not maritime industry related.
The objective of the visit, therefore, was to enable the Board members to familiarize themselves with Wilmar’s operations and activities at the Port of Singapore. “Of particular interest to the Board will be the industries of Wilmar Company as a result of your decision to establish an edible oil industrial complex in the Port of Tema.”
Our information is that Sector Minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda and the GPHA entire board, led by its chairman, Alhaji Abukari Sumani, and some technocrats at the authority made the trip.
Negotiation for the extra land was reportedly concluded during the trip. Again on December 7th 2011, Mr. Galley signed another letter captioned OFFER OF LAND – PLOT NO. 23, TEMA PORT, and stated that: “we refer to your application for extra land for Flour Processing Plant and do hereby forward to you Site Plan No. TM/PL1/101 dated 7th December, 2011, showing a developed plot of an approximate size of 16,296m2 or 4.026 acres which the Authority is prepared to lease to you on the following terms and conditions.”
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