The Ministry of Road and Highways has caused the arrest of three foreign nationals for constructing a fence wall on a portion of the road close to the Association International School at the Airport residential area in the Greater Accra region.
The three are currently in the custody of the BNI.
The foreigners were also arrested for supervising the construction of a 22-storey multipurpose building without the needed permit for the project.
Speaking to the press at the site, Sector Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah cautioned officials at various state agencies that issue permits to developers who build at unauthorized places to desist from it.
“I am going round and any individual or company that might have encroached on the road corridor and the road reservation, we are going to do same so this is just the beginning, even if it is a building which has entered into the road reservation I will pull it down. Ghanaians who stay outside this country are supposed to be law-abiding in those countries and so we expect the same from any foreigner who comes into our country. All of us who are officials at various sectors must be careful and carry our national pride because it is very painful that some officials allow some foreigners [to take us] for a ride over money or whatever it is”.
Encroachment on land has become a household issue in Ghana with landowners selling the same pieces of land to multiple owners causing chaos.
Various individuals and organizations are also of the habit of building without a permit, a very recent example was when officials of the Tema West Municipal assembly were assaulted by some members of the Anointed Palace Church for daring to stop construction works at the church premises because there did not have the permit to build.