Tema: TDC Ghana Limited has reaffirmed its statutory mandate to plan, lay out, and develop the Tema area, emphasizing that its development responsibilities remain distinct from the regulatory and municipal functions of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA). The clarification comes in response to statements attributed to the TMA concerning the ongoing Community One, Site Three infilling housing project, over which the two institutions appear to hold differing positions.
According to Ghana News Agency, TDC clarified in a press statement dated August 14, 2026, that its mandate to plan, lay out, and develop Tema predated the establishment of the local government authority and had not been transferred to the Assembly. The Tema Acquisition Area, originally acquired by the State for the development of the new Tema township and port, was placed under TDC's management and development framework.
Established in 1952 under the Tema Development Corporation Ordinance, TDC was tasked with planning and developing the new Tema township and port, overseeing approximately 63 square miles of land known as the Tema Acquisition Area. Despite a 1989 amendment transferring certain municipal functions to the then Tema District Assembly, TDC's core development mandate remained intact.
TDC highlighted its principal statutory object to 'plan, lay out, and develop the Tema area,' maintaining powers related to housing schemes and industrial and commercial site development. The company urged stakeholders to differentiate between TMA's metropolitan and regulatory responsibilities and TDC's planning, land development, and housing mandate.
Acknowledging TMA's statutory responsibilities for physical planning, development control, and municipal administration, TDC stressed the need for coexistence with its own statutory and proprietary interests within the Tema Acquisition Area. The issue, TDC noted, was not about TMA's mandate, but how it should operate alongside TDC's statutory responsibilities.
TDC referred to a long-standing arrangement where it and the assemblies within the Tema Acquisition Area coordinated their respective functions. A Joint Technical Evaluation Committee was established following the 1989 amendment to process development permit applications and manage potential overlaps between their responsibilities.
The company also noted that its conversion into a limited liability company in 2017 preserved its original development functions while expanding its mandate to include land acquisition for real estate development and planning, development, and construction of towns and cities in and outside Ghana. TDC's lease over the Tema Acquisition Area, originally granted for 125 years from April 1, 1955, was recently renewed for another 125 years effective January 1, 2024, reinforcing its continuing interest in managing and developing the land within the Tema area.
Amid the current disagreement, TDC called for inter-agency collaboration to resolve the differences and allow the redevelopment of Tema to proceed. The Community One, Site Three project should be considered within the broader objective of redeveloping and renewing Tema, with benefits extending beyond the immediate community. TDC remains committed to constructive engagement to resolve the differences, stressing that 'Tema's redevelopment is bigger than TDC and bigger than TMA.'