Over 300 farmers operating under the Weija Irrigation Project at Tuba in the Greater Accra Region have staged protests over what they describe as the unlawful takeover of their farmlands by land guards, following the alleged sale of the land to a private estate developer.
The farmers claim that officials at the Lands Commission unlawfully transferred the Tuba irrigation lands for commercial development, a move that has exposed them to harassment and intimidation by armed land guards.
According to the farmers, the Government of Ghana acquired about 13,000 acres of land in 1974 for the Weija Dam project. In 1983, the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) earmarked approximately 8,000 acres of this land for irrigation farming.
However, they allege that in 2013, over 90 percent of the land was returned to the original landowners through an Executive Instrument, leaving only about six percent for farming activities.
Some farmers told the media that land guards have chased them off their farms with weapons, creating fear and insecurity in the area. They warned that more than 300 farmers risk losing their livelihoods if the situation is not urgently resolved.
The aggrieved farmers are appealing to President John Dramani Mahama, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to intervene.
Meanwhile, the farmers’ lawyer, Paul Kumi, revealed that a private company is claiming ownership of the irrigation lands.
He has called on the President, National Security, and the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the role of the Lands Commission and reverse what he described as the questionable registration of the land in favour of the developer.
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