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A major jurisdictional battle is unfolding in Tema between two powerful state-linked institutions: the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and TDC Company Limited. The dispute centres on an ongoing development and infilling project at Community One Site 3 (with effects also reported at Site 8). What started as a local planning disagreement has now drawn presidential attention.
TDC began physical works on an infilling and development project at Community One Site 3. The Tema Metropolitan Assembly ordered the company to stop, stating the project lacked the required development permit from the Assembly.
When work continued, the TMA task force moved in on 12 August 2026 and demolished parts of the contractor’s structures and site hoardings. Residents of Sites 3 and 8 had earlier petitioned the Assembly, raising several complaints:
- Alleged felling of approximately 50 trees
- Demolition of existing structures
- Encroachment on playgrounds and green belts
- Obstruction of access routes for residents and businesses
These grievances turned a technical permitting issue into a community-sensitive flashpoint.
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Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive Ebi Bright has been firm. She maintains that under Ghana’s local governance and spatial planning laws, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly is the sole planning and development authority for the metropolis.
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According to the TMA:
- No physical development can lawfully proceed without the Assembly’s permit and approval process.
- TDC can manage its landed properties, collect ground rent, and administer leases, but it has no power to issue building permits, rezone public spaces, or carry out developments independently.
- The Assembly must examine proposals, engage residents and elected representatives, consider objections, and (where needed) handle rezoning before any construction begins.
Bright has described the absence of a permitting process for the Site 3 project as a breach of the law and emphasised that the Assembly’s intervention followed formal resident petitions.
TDC Managing Director Courage Makafui Nunekpeku has called the demolition “extremely unfortunate.” He argues that the project forms part of a broader government-sanctioned programme that went through the necessary approvals involving the Ministry of Finance, the Public Procurement Authority, and the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources.
TDC’s key points include:
- A longstanding institutional relationship and practice for certain government projects within the Tema Acquisition Area.
- Receipt of a formal letter from TMA on 7 August 2026 giving seven days to comply — yet the demolition took place on 12 August, before the deadline expired.
- Concern that inter-agency disputes of this nature can delay infrastructure delivery and job creation.
Nunekpeku has also denied claims of multiple prior warnings and engagements before the demolition.
Recognising the seriousness of the standoff, President John Dramani Mahama directed the following officials to appear before him on Monday, 17 August 2026 at 11:00 a.m:
- TDC Managing Director Courage Nunekpeku
- Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive Ebi Bright
- Minister for Local Government
- Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources
The meeting is intended to allow both sides to present their positions, examine the facts, address resident concerns, and chart a clear way forward. The presidential summons elevates what began as a local planning dispute into a matter of national institutional coordination.
This is more than a disagreement over one project site. It highlights deeper questions about:
- Who ultimately controls physical planning and permitting in the Tema Acquisition Area
- The balance between a metropolitan assembly’s statutory planning powers and a state development company’s historical mandate
- Protection of green spaces, playgrounds, and community access routes amid urban densification
- How state institutions should resolve overlapping mandates without disrupting legitimate development
Residents of Community One are watching closely. Many want orderly development but also insist that public open spaces and due process must be respected.
The outcome of Monday’s meeting at the Presidency will likely determine whether the project continues (with or without modifications), is redesigned, or is halted pending full compliance with TMA processes. Both institutions are expected to present documentation supporting their positions. For now, the works at Community One Site 3 remain under a cloud, and the broader conversation about planning authority in Tema has been thrust into the national spotlight.
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