TDC to become independent soon - Collins Dauda

The Tema Development Corporation (TDC) would be transformed into a limited liability company by the end of this year to independently undertake its own development projects.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing said the process to facilitate the change had been completed by Parliament, but awaiting the approval of the Finance Ministry.

Alhaji Dauda said this when the Board Chairman of TDC, Mr Emmanuel Oko Adjetey, presented a dividend of Ghc214,986 to the Ministry in Accra.

He expressed gratitude to the Management of TDC for discharging their duties responsibly as a state corporation.

He said state corporations are set up to pay dividend for national development but, “we hardly get it, therefore, if TDC has presented theirs, then they deserve commendation.”

“It is evident that TDC was confined to work within a certain jurisdiction but has no more lands to develop, so when everything is completed, it will give them the mandate to operate or develop projects, even outside the country,” he stressed.

The Minister, however, expressed regret about the way the demolishing of some houses at Adjei Kojo by TDC was presented as if it was a political problem.

He said when the demolishing exercise was carried out, the Member of Parliament for the area championed the issue through Parliament and that prompted the Speaker to set up a Committee to investigate the Adjei Kojo incident.

“But it was clear that TDC was protecting its rights,” he said, and urged private developers to go through the due process of acquiring lands to build houses.

“You must take the site plan of the land being sold to the Lands Commission to do a search and satisfy yourself that the land is not stolen, or the State’s land before you go ahead and pay for it,” he advised.

Mr Emmanuel Oko Adjetey, TDC Board Chairman said, “We got the dividend because of the cooperation between the board, management, and the Ministry."

He said it is the commitment of the board and management to re-brand Tema to possibly regain its original status.

However, he said, “hardly a day passes without hearing agitation from the public all because of political interference…, a case in point is the Adjei Kojo incident."

“It is our aim to develop Tema, but developers fail to abide by the law and this distracts us from the quality of work we want to do,” he stressed. Mr Adjetey urged politicians to take their hands off TDC to enable it to enjoy the peaceful environment needed for improving upon their output to increase the dividend and to the government next year.