The Office of the President has directed the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and TDC Ghana Limited to resolve their long-standing dispute and establish a clear framework to guide their respective roles and collaboration.
In a letter dated August 28, 2026, the Presidency reaffirmed the TMA as the highest political and administrative authority within the Tema Metropolis, with responsibility for the overall development of the area, human settlements, municipal services, revenue mobilisation and local planning.
The Presidency also maintained that the Assembly is the local planning authority responsible for regulating physical development and issuing development and building permits within its jurisdiction.
TDC Ghana Limited, meanwhile, was described as a commercially driven real estate developer rather than a municipal authority.
The directive follows a disagreement over construction activities at Community One, Sites 3 and 8, where the TMA issued a stop-work order and later demolished parts of structures at the site.
The Assembly argued that the project had commenced without the required permits. TDC subsequently petitioned the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, and the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, seeking their intervention.
The dispute reportedly followed complaints from residents over alleged tree felling, the demolition of existing structures, encroachment on playgrounds and green spaces, as well as blocked access to homes and businesses.
While the TMA maintained that TDC’s ownership or management of land did not exempt the company from complying with planning and development regulations, TDC insisted that it has a distinct statutory mandate to plan, lay out and develop Tema.
TDC traced its mandate to 1952, when the Tema Development Corporation was established to oversee the development of the new Tema township and port.
The company argued that although some municipal functions were transferred to the then Tema District Assembly in 1989, it retained responsibility for planning and developing the Tema area, including residential, industrial and commercial projects.
TDC acknowledged the TMA’s authority over physical planning, development control and municipal administration but argued that these powers should be exercised in recognition of its own statutory and proprietary interests.
“TDC does not dispute that TMA is a statutory local government authority with responsibilities for physical planning, development control and municipal administration.
“The issue is whether that mandate can be exercised as though TDC’s separate statutory mandate does not exist,” the company said in an earlier statement.
It also pointed to a Joint Technical Evaluation Committee established between TDC and assemblies within the Tema Acquisition Area as an existing mechanism for coordinating their overlapping responsibilities.
The disagreement intensified following the TMA’s demolition exercise, prompting TDC Managing Director Courage Makafui Nunekpeku to call for dialogue.
“We have petitioned the local government minister, and we have also petitioned our sector minister. They will take it up at their level, and I am sure this issue will be resolved amicably,” he said.
The Presidency has now instructed both institutions to establish a clear operational framework to prevent further disagreements and ensure that their respective mandates are carried out without conflict.
President John Dramani Mahama expects the TMA and TDC to cooperate fully towards an immediate and lasting resolution, while warning that any further institutional confrontation or refusal to comply with the directive will be treated seriously.
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