The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) has banned private developments on portions of the Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme.
In line with the directive all developers carrying out projects in the area under the scheme have been asked to suspend their activities until further notice.
The decision was arrived at a meeting on Wednesday to halt encroachment by developers who had converted portions of the arable land into residential areas.
The meeting organised by ASHMA was attended by members of the Ashaiman Municipal Security Council (AMSC) Ashaiman Traditional Council (ATC) officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and private developers.
The media was originally slated to cover the programme but it took a different turn when some developers requested that the pressmen be made to stay out of the meeting as they felt intimidated by their presence and could therefore not divulge all they knew about transactions over the land.
The Ashaiman Irrigation Scheme, originally covering an area of 400 hectares was established more than 50 years ago by the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) for the cultivation of food crops all year round.
About half of the land under the scheme have been encroached upon by people who turned the area into dwelling houses.
A visit to the scheme showed that development undertaken by the private developers had reached various levels of completion.
Some of the developers alleged that they bought parcels of the land from the Queen Mother of Ashaiman, Naa Amui.
Investigations by the Ghanaian Times indicated the developers do not have permits from ASHMA to carry out the projects.
Briefing the media after the meeting the Chief Executive Officer of ASHMA, Mr Albert Boakye Okyere said the assembly had banned all illegal developments under the scheme.
Mr Okyere said ASHMA would have further deliberations on the issue with the AMSC, ATC and the GIDA to see the way forward.
He however hinted that the assembly would not touch projects that had been completed but those at other levels were going to be demolished.
He said at the meeting that some people brandished indenture as proof of ownership of the land they had purchased but he educated them to register any land they buy at the Lands Commission and it was by so doing that they would be able to establish the actual ownership of the land and procure a genuine land title.
The Director for Agriculture in the Ashaiman Municipality, Dr John Nunya, said it was unfortunate that several years after government acquired the land and paid adequate compensation to the original owners some of their descendants came up with excuses to sell portions to unsuspecting developers.
He said some representatives of the ATC alleged at the meeting that they were given portions of the scheme’s land by the TDC but when they were asked to produce the necessary documents as proof they had nothing to show.
Dr Nunya said the irrigation scheme which provided employment for 220 farmers who cultivate vegetables like pepper, okra, onion, lettuce and rice among others while others rear pigs, chicken and other birds.
“Urban agriculture is necessary and the remaining must be protected,” he said.
He noted that but for the COVID-19 that struck last year, some irrigation experts from Korea would have developed 100 hectares of the land to expand farming under the project.
Dr Nunya was worried that the area currently being encroached formed part of the buffer zone that stored water in times of floods, a situation he said could spell trouble for the scheme and the Ashaiman township during heavy rains.
He opined that the situation could be reversed if policy makers took serious view of the project to safeguard food security, prevent global warming and prevent flooding.
The Regent of Ashaiman, Nii Adjor, advised his subjects to heed the measures put in place by the ASHMA and refrain from engaging in the sale of land under the scheme.
FROM GODFRED BLAY GIBBAH, ASHAIMAN
