Our lands not sold — GAF

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has refuted allegations that its lands are being indiscriminately sold out to private developers and stated that the official residence of the Chief of the Defence Staff had not been sold as purported.

Responding to the allegations by a group calling itself the Alliance for Safeguarding the Integrity of the Security Services (ASISS), the GAF in a press statement issued last Friday said those lands in question were rather being used as joint venture on a value for money basis.

According to the statement signed by the Acting Director Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel E. Aggrey-Quashie, the joint venture was aimed at making maximum use and preventing encroachment on military lands.

“The Ghana Armed Forces wishes to take this opportunity to assure the whole nation, troops and their families, that no lands belonging to GAF have been sold to any private developer. All arrangements in connection with the lands were made under formal agreements in consultation with the Armed Forces Council and the Lands Commission,” the statement said.

The projects, under a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement, include the construction of an ultra-modern Officers Mess Complex, living accommodation for 96 live-in members on the premises of the Army Mess and 48 three-bedroom Married Quarters for officers at Burma Camp.

The statement further indicated that the Ghana Army stood to gain financially from the venture annually, and that the project on Drake Avenue, Airport Residential Area, involved the use of five acres for 20 four-bedroom bungalows and two-bedroom out-houses for senior officers.

It explained that under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), five acres were to be given to the private partner, while another eight three-bedroom accommodation would be constructed at Burma Camp.

“The land being occupied by the GOIL Filling Station is a partnership with the company (GOIL) under a MoU which was signed on December 30, 2011,” the statement added.