Repeal law on Songhor lagoon

Ada Traditional Council (ATC) on Wednesday repeated its call on the government to repeal the PNDC Law 287, which vested the Ada Songhor Lagoon in the state.

It is also asking the government to establish a board to take care of the salt winning industry in Ghana. At a press conference in Accra, led by Nene Korley III, Divisional Chief of Terkperbiawe, the Council said there should be a strong representation of people from Ada on the board when established.

The Council compared the board to that of the Ghana Cocoa Board and the Volta River Authority and said the absence of a similar board would bring chaos along with marketing problems in the salt industry.

Nene Korley III however, maintained the Council's position on seeking government assistance to exploit the salt in the area, saying, "no individual or group of individual can have the ability and capacity to exploit it without Government's assistance."

The Council said the full implementation of the Ada Songhor Project would require a port for ships to dock at Ada. Provision of industrial power and an efficient water supply system were also needed for the salt companies.

The project would also require infrastructure facilities like roads, telephones, and sanitary facilities, and also aquaculture systems for the supply of fish, the Council said. Nene Korley said to date, there was no official representation from the Council to the Ga Dangme Society, and accused eminent scholars in the Society of teaming up with some citizens from Ada to be creating confusion over the salt mines at Ada.

The Council dissociated itself from the Society and said it was well constituted and could manage its own affairs without any assistance from the quarters. Nene Korley pointed out that the Council was like Parliament and "it would be wrong for the Government of Ghana to consult any other body in Ada when policies on land in Ada are being discussed."

"All grievances and thoughts must be through the Ada Traditional Council, the Terkperbiawe Divisional Chief said. He stated that the Council did not own any land and therefore, could not allocate land, but added however that the six land owning clans were members of the council and "each land owning clan can effect a lease to any prospective investors without any interference from the ATC."

Nene Korley accused local investors of instigating the youth of Ada to stand up against the traditional council and said they must stop. Nene Sorgbodjor Oboade I, Development Chief of the Council, said the council described the one million cedi payment for each acre of the 5,000 acre salt concession from local investors as "outrageous" and said the council would take equity from any investment in the area.