Ghana risks losing $40m land to France

Ghana risks losing a parcel of land worth $40 million located in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad.

The land which was allocated to the country for construction of its embassy has currently been encroached upon by Malaysia.

The undeveloped plot land of land was given to Ghana by the Capital Development Authority  of Islamabad in perpetuity since 8 June 1973.

According to the 2016 auditor general report, both France and Canada have expressed interest in the land prompting the Pakistani authorities to urge Ghana to develop the land or lose it.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said her Ministry has no money for construction of a fence wall to secure the land at a cost of $80,000.

"We could lose the land if we don't take the necessary steps to develop it," she said.

“What will be the ideal thing is to wall it and secure the piece of land. Unfortunately, it will cost us about €160,000 which we do not have at the moment. So it is the issue of lack of resources. The limited resources that we have, we are having to apply it to the countries where we have missions,” she told the Committee.

Asked if Ghana was that poor it could not get €160,000 to secure the land which is valued $40 miilion, the Foreign Affairs minister assured that she would look for the money “someway, somehow” to secure the land.

"The Capital Development Authority  of Islamabad had threatened to repossess the land if construction work did not commence, " the report of the Auditor-General says.

Source:ghanaguardian.com