Ningo Does Not Need Unlawful Military Presence

There is something fundamentally important that Ghana must confront in the ongoing discussion about military presence in Ningo-Prampram. The conversation should not begin and end with whether the military should be present in the area. It should also address a much bigger question: What has Ningo received in return for the enormous portions of its land acquired for national purposes, and why do communities continue to struggle with basic infrastructure and public services?

For decades, the people of Ningo have raised concerns about land acquisition, compensation, infrastructure, employment and access to essential services. These concerns deserve more than occasional political attention. They require a transparent national conversation.

The Land Question: Acquisition Without Visible Development?

It is reported that the Government of Ghana acquired approximately 77,000 acres of land in the Ningo area, with about 34,000 acres subsequently occupied for military purposes, including the Bundase military training facilities.

These figures and the associated acquisition records deserve independent verification. However, the fundamental questions remain legitimate.

What was the original purpose of these acquisitions? What compensation arrangements were made with the affected landowners and communities? Were those obligations fully discharged? What happens to portions of land that are no longer required for their original purposes?

These are not anti-government questions. They are questions of constitutional accountability.

Article 20 of Ghana's 1992 Constitution requires compulsory acquisition to serve a clearly justified public purpose and provides for prompt, fair and adequate compensation. More importantly, Article 20(5) and (6) address what happens when acquired land is no longer used for the purpose for which it was acquired, including the former owner's first option to reacquire it under the applicable conditions.

Consequently, land acquired for national defense cannot simply become an unrestricted resource for unrelated private interests. Its administration must remain consistent with the Constitution.

Government Leases and the Question of Private Interests

Perhaps one of the most serious concerns raised by residents is the reported appearance of individuals and private entities as registered interests in portions of land believed to have been acquired by the state.

E.g: The controversy surrounding Ningo's land administration is not new. A September 2015 publication by Modern Ghana, authored by Prosper Agbenyega, reported allegations by the Tei Narteh Boso Buahene Family concerning approximately 29,000 acres of land reportedly vested in the state in 1968 and subsequently leased to Volta Investments Company Limited in November 1998. The publication referenced a Lands Commission search, OS/6594/2013, as part of the family's challenge to the transaction. These allegations raise fundamental questions about the original acquisition, the legal basis for the subsequent lease, the rights of the original landowners and the present status of the affected parcels. The Lands Commission should provide the relevant acquisition instruments, cadastral plans, registration records and lease documents to establish the legal history of these lands. If land acquired for public purposes was subsequently transferred or leased for private commercial interests, the constitutional requirements governing compulsory acquisition and the rights of former owners must be examined.

Nene Dokutso Tei Kwabla v. Lands Commission and Volta (GH.) Investment Co. Ltd. [2017] GHASC 14.

And many other individuals and entities currently registered portions or Ningo lands.

If these claims are substantiated, the implications are significant.

How can land acquired in the public interest subsequently become the subject of government leases to private individuals or commercial entities? Under what authority are such leases issued? Were the original acquisition purposes fulfilled, abandoned or changed? Were the original landowners consulted or given any legally required opportunity to exercise their rights?

The Lands Commission must provide answers.
A comprehensive public register identifying the original acquisition instruments, affected parcels, present ownership interests, lease beneficiaries, purposes of allocation and compensation records would help resolve these questions.

Public land administration should not operate in a manner that leaves indigenous communities uncertain about the fate of their ancestral lands.

Coastal Security: An Exposed Shoreline and the Question of State Responsibility

Another issue that deserves national attention is the security of Ningo's coastal belt. Concerns have been raised about the use of sections of the Ningo shoreline as entry points for the movement of illicit drugs and other prohibited goods into the country. These allegations warrant serious investigation by the relevant security and law-enforcement agencies. Ghana's coastline is a national security asset, and its protection should not be selective. If coastal communities are experiencing suspected smuggling activities without visible or effective government intervention, the appropriate authorities must explain the existing surveillance, intelligence and enforcement arrangements. It is particularly important to establish why communities that have experienced extensive state land acquisition and military occupation should continue to raise concerns about inadequate coastal security. Ningo's coastline should not become a convenient corridor for criminal networks while its residents bear the consequences of inadequate public infrastructure and security attention. The government must strengthen maritime surveillance, empower the relevant enforcement agencies and work with traditional authorities and coastal residents to establish effective community-based reporting mechanisms. National security must protect not only military installations and state property but also the territorial integrity, economic interests and everyday safety of the communities along Ghana's coastline.

The Development Question: What Has Ningo Received?

Ningo is not a single settlement. It comprises numerous communities with distinct histories, economic activities and development needs.

Yet residents continue to raise concerns about inadequate road networks, healthcare facilities, potable water, employment opportunities and industrial investment.

Roads connecting communities such as Old Ningo, Ada, Tsopoli, Dawhenya, Afienya and Dodowa require sustained attention. The condition of connecting roads affects transportation, education, commerce, emergency healthcare and agricultural activities.

Healthcare is another pressing concern. Residents have historically complained about inadequate facilities and the difficulty of accessing advanced medical services without travelling considerable distances. Citizens have to travel a substantial distance from Ningo to Tema, Ningo to Battor for serious medical care. The Prampram community clinic is nothing more than a CHPs compound.

The 2022 needs assessment reported by the Ghana News Agency identified poor road networks, inadequate access to basic healthcare, unemployment and drainage challenges among the development concerns in Ningo-Prampram.

These are not merely political allegations. They are development issues acknowledged in the district's own planning discussions.

There have also been government interventions. For instance, the Public Interest and Accountability Committee reported in its 2024 annual report that an Agenda 111 hospital project in Ningo-Prampram had reached approximately 80 per cent physical completion at the time of its inspection. Currently, the project site is haboring snakes and reptiles that can harm citizens.

That development must be acknowledged. However, the existence of projects does not eliminate the need to examine their completion, operationalization, accessibility and distribution of benefits across the district.

Water, Employment and Economic Exclusion

Access to potable water should not be a privilege determined by geographical proximity to major urban centers.

Residents have raised concerns about irregular water supply in several Ningo communities, forcing households to depend on alternative sources, including groundwater.

This raises public health and environmental questions, particularly where groundwater quality and sanitation are not adequately monitored. The distance from Tema to Kpone might be more or equally to that of Ningo to Kpone, Tema has frequently flowing water, Ningo experiences that once a month.

The employment question is equally important.

If extensive land has been committed to national infrastructure, military installations and other public purposes, what opportunities have been deliberately created for the surrounding population?

National development should not simply mean occupying community land for projects whose economic benefits are enjoyed elsewhere.

Local communities should participate in the economic opportunities created by activities on or around their lands. This requires deliberate investment in vocational training, industrial development, local procurement, entrepreneurship and employment.

Ningo should not remain a geographical location of strategic importance while its young people struggle to access meaningful economic opportunities.

The Military Question: Security Must Not Become a Substitute for Accountability

The recent controversy surrounding Honorable Sam George's comments about military operations in Ningo-Prampram has generated considerable public discussion.

His concerns followed reports of soldiers entering the constituency during an operation involving trucks at a sand-winning site, with some affected drivers alleging assault and other misconduct. The Minister subsequently clarified that his remarks were not intended as an attack on the Ghana Armed Forces.

The military has an important constitutional responsibility in protecting Ghana's territorial integrity and national security. That responsibility should be respected.

However, military authority must operate within the law. Security operations involving civilians must be lawful, necessary, proportionate and accountable.

Equally, the existence of a military installation does not automatically justify every military operation within surrounding communities.

The people of Ningo deserve to understand the legal basis, operational boundaries and civilian oversight arrangements governing military activities in their communities.

Questioning a particular military operation is not the same as opposing the Ghana Armed Forces.

There is also a broader national question worth asking.

Ghana has experienced extensive environmental destruction associated with illegal mining. Rivers, forests and agricultural lands have suffered serious damage. The protection of natural resources requires coordinated action by the relevant security agencies and environmental authorities.

Citizens are therefore entitled to ask whether the same institutional urgency demonstrated in certain security operations is consistently reflected in the protection of the country's water bodies, forests and public lands; Galamsey.

The issue is not whether the military should perform every environmental enforcement function. It is whether national security institutions and civilian authorities are applying their respective responsibilities consistently and effectively.

What Should Ningo Demand?
The discussion should move beyond political exchanges and produce measurable commitments.

At a minimum, the people of Ningo deserve:

1. A comprehensive land audit: The Lands Commission should publish the original acquisition instruments, maps, compensation records and present status of the reported 77,000 acres.
2. An independent investigation into government leases: Every lease issued over land previously acquired for public purposes should be examined to establish its legal basis and compliance with constitutional requirements.
3. A compensation review: Outstanding compensation claims should be investigated and resolved transparently.
4. A military-community accountability framework: The military and relevant civilian authorities should clarify the legal basis of operations, boundaries of military installations and procedures for addressing civilian complaints.
5. A comprehensive infrastructure program: Roads, healthcare facilities, potable water, drainage and electricity should receive clearly defined development targets and funding commitments.
6. Local economic participation: Government-backed industrial, agricultural and commercial investments should create meaningful employment and business opportunities for Ningo's residents.

These demands are not extraordinary privileges. They are reasonable expectations of public administration and equitable development.

Conclusion: National Development Must Include the People Who Give Up Their Land

Ningo does not need unnecessary confrontation with the military. It needs the rule of law, transparent land administration, responsible security operations and development that reaches ordinary people.

The people are not necessarily questioning the need for national defense installations or public infrastructure. They are questioning whether the acquisition and utilization of their land have been accompanied by sufficient accountability and attention to their welfare.

A country cannot continually invoke national interest when acquiring community land but become less responsive when those same communities demand roads, hospitals, potable water and employment.

The government must recognize that land is not merely a geographical resource. For indigenous communities, it represents history, identity, inheritance, economic survival and the future of generations.

If the state can identify and acquire thousands of acres in Ningo for national purposes, it must also demonstrate the capacity and political commitment to address the development needs of the people living there.

Ningo has a right to ask: If our land is important to the nation, why should the development of our people remain an unfinished national responsibility?

That is the conversation Ghana needs to have.

If the military has concerns about the misuse, degradation or unlawful occupation of lands in Ningo, the Government of Ghana must first ensure that the institutions responsible for land administration are functioning transparently and accountably. The Lands Commission, in particular, must be prepared to explain the status of government-acquired lands, the issuance of leases and the legal authority under which individuals and entities obtain interests in such properties. Environmental protection cannot be separated from responsible land administration. It would be inconsistent to demand environmental compliance from local operators while leaving legitimate questions about the administration and utilization of public lands unanswered. This is not an argument in support of land degradation or illegal sand-winning. It is an argument for equal application of the law and accountability across all institutions.

I’m not in support of land degradation anyway.

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