Between 2007 and 2008, the opposition NDC went on a propaganda campaign, branding the NPP government, led by H.E. J.A. Kufuor, with various acts of corruption. One of the lies executed was the printing of fake accounts of some NPP appointees, with huge deposits, which were shown to Ghanaians as proof of corruption. Gullible, as most Ghanaians were, they accepted the lies and turned against the NPP.
Today, with a few months to elections, the opposition NDC members are at their trade again.
Inclusive is the alarming cry that the NPP has sold state assets to its members. This was made to seem like an act, never committed in Ghana before andwas classified among the deadly mortal sins.
It was all about the SSNIT and Rock City deal, where the former was going to offload 60% of its shares in four hotels it owns to the latter, owned by an NPP guru.
The NDC was able to incite Organised Labour to take up very hypocritical stance against the deal. Hypocritical, because worse things in respect to sale of state assets, have been done by the NDC, but which Organised Labour always pretended, it never heard off.
In 1994, Ghana was the second largest gold producer in Africa, and the NDC sold all our 55% shares in Ashanti Goldfields to foreign investors for $400 million, which did not reflect in our economy. No one rose up against the NDC. Today, Ghana is the largest gold producer in Africa and sixth in the world, yet we have nothing to show for it, because we do not decide how the profits should be shared and get nothing, but only collect land rent.
SSNIT established the Social Security Bank (SSB) in 1977 with workers’ contributions to the pension fund. In 1994, SSB had three shareholders; with SSNIT having 65,835,000 shares (92.40%); Government of Ghana had 3,776,250 shares (5.30%) and Bank of Ghana had 1,638,750 shares (2.30%), making the state, 100% shareholder in SSB. That year, SSB’s profit after taxation was ¢7.3 billion ($875 million), with total assets at ¢176 billion ($21 billion). This was certainly a vibrant and successful bank in the country, in 1994.
Then in 1995, the NDC government started selling off the SSNIT’s shares in SSB, to the private sector. And today, the name of the bank has been changed to SociétéGénérale-Ghana with SSNIT having only 19.36% shares. Organised Labour did not rise up in 1995 to fight for the only SSNIT investment that was constantly bringing in lots money into the pension fund. Today, because of this recklessness, virtually nothing from the bank go into the pension fund.
As at 2023, Société Générale-Ghana made GH¢425 million ($38 million) as profit after tax and its total assets stood at GH¢8.5 billion ($759 million). This is how the bank which took over from SSB is faring, today. SSNIT could have been, better managers of the bank.
Today, when the Board of Trustee of SSNIT, took the best decision to turn around failing investments by allowing on board, a strategic investor, the NDC and Organised Labour are up in arms. It is been speculated that by 2034 or so, SSNIT will not be able to pay out pensions. Let us pray this does not happen or the NDC and Organised Labour will have to answer for this.
At the end of 1999, the Bank for Housing and Construction (BHC), another vibrant bank, recorded ¢3 billion ($491 million) as profit and had a deposit base of ¢86 billion ($14 billion). In January 2000, however, the NDC government liquidated this bank and sold all its assets, to NDC gurus, cronies and people fronting for them. Only the bank’s co-operate union challenged the NDC on the liquidation of BHC, Organised Labour kept mute.
This and many are what the NDC did to Ghana and were able to go unchallenged, because for some reason it may seem Organised Labour is in bed with that party. So whenever the NPP wanted to chart a course that will benefit the worker, the NDC will raise false alarm and turned, Ghanaians Organised against government.
As if these were not enough, the NDC recently came out and told Ghanaians about a number of state lands the NPP had sold out. It was very alarming, and gullible as Ghanaians are, people took it all in, hook, line and sinkerand the condemnations begun.
With headlines, like‘Ghana on Sale’, the following are included in the speculations by NDC as having been sold by the NPP.
- Mental Hospital in Asylum Down, Children’s Park, Parks and Garden’s among others. 2.BostalInstitute, Ghana Prison Service, Roman Ridge,gone. 3. Supreme Court judges’ homes at Cantonments also gone, and the judges are now seeking injunction in court. 4. W.E.B. DuBois Centre gone. 5. Teshie Shooting Range land sold. Prison barracks land also gone. 6. Airport Shell that was used for a restaurant has been taken away. The land has been sold.7. They just repossessed the Foreign Affairs land Atta Mills took from them. 8. Prison Service land at Roman Ridge. And they concluded by saying, “they’ll all face the firing squad when a 2nd Rawlings comes.” Nonsense! As if Rawlings did not kill people to acquire ill-gotten wealth.
The ones I find very ridiculous are the Teshie Shooting range, which is an important military property; the Airport Shell, which belongs to an NDC guru, unless he had given it away. But what can be done to that classroom-size restaurant if as the allegations stated, it has been taken away? And the Foreign Affairs land at Airport, where the head office of the ministry is situated. How possible can its land be sold?
Then on July 16, 2024, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources came out to clarify the issues. Ghanaians then got to know that it was the NDC which largely sold-out state lands.
In a process begun on August 16, 2012 by NDC’s deputy minister, Hon. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, and concluded on November 29, 2016, two acres of land belonging to the Parks and Gardens was sold to a private entity, Wontirim Company Ltd on the 50-year leasehold.
On August 4, 2014, Frimps Oil Ltd, an Oil Marketing Company, (OMC), applied for the grant of 0.9 acre of portions of land belonging to the Judicial Service, in Cantonments, Accra. On June 3, 2015, Frimps Oil Ltd was offered 1.39 acres of land which included the 0.9 acre it applied for. The OMC accepted the offer on June 6, 2015 and on June 13, 2015, it was granted a fifty-year lease on the land. This land is currently under litigation after the Nana Addo administration, asked the offer to be withdrawn.
The Prison Service land at Roman Ridge was originally given to the then University College of the Gold Coast, now University of Ghana in 1946. Later on, on June 28, 1950 it was allocated to the Prison Service.
Since the 1960’s portions of the land have been carved out to private developers. In 2005, the Kufuor Administration leased portions of the land to one Prof. Appiah-Adu. There was a protracted dispute between Ghana Prison Service and Appiah-Adu over this, until March 21, 2023 when the latter received judgment in his favour.
The land occupied by Du Bois Center, was acquired for government purposes on December 20, 1897. It is currently occupied by Du Bois Center, Lands Commission and Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. No one has registered interest in acquiring that land.
So, from this and most likely many more to come, it is rather the NDC which sold most of state lands to its members and cronies. We must not forget the 4.5 acres of land at Ridge, a prime area, which was leased to Rawlings by the Mahama administration at GH¢10.00 per year for ninety years, that is GH¢900.00 in total was paid for a 4.5-acre land in a prime area in Accra. What more evidence do Ghanaians need, to know who the culprit is, when it comes to ‘stealing’ state lands and assets? The NDC is the culprit and yet it will shift blame by convincing Ghanaians that the NPP was at fault.
I will therefore, request that government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and other ministries, departments and agencies, should come out with all state assets sold out to private entities from 1981 to date. The PNDC era must be included because PNDC and NDC are one and the same.
Whiles at it, the veil must be lifted to know all those behind the purchases and how they benefited. Ghanaians will want to know, why Ashanti Goldfields was sold out, and who benefited or are benefiting from this transaction. Ghanaians will want to know who were behind the sale of SSNIT’s Social Security Bank (SSB), a high performing bank and who are benefiting from this. The Ghanaian worker must be more interested in this and all other SSNIT assets which have been sold. And Ghanaians will want to know who benefited from the sale of Bank for Housing and Construction’s assets.
In fact, Ghanaians must make the government nationalize AngloGold Ashanti and Société Générale-Ghana. The most important one is AngloGold Ashanti, for how can we be the number one gold producer in Africa and yet we have no say in our gold? Any government who thinks well of the people will never accept such a thing.
Unfortunately, we are where we are because of the NDC, who have a convincing way of making others stand accused of the crimes it committed. The success and progress of Ghana is never on the agenda of the NDC and Ghana must know the truth in all sales of state assets, including during this regime.It is about time.
By Hon. Daniel Dugan
