The Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema and New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for Tema East, Yohane Nii Aramh Ashitey, has expressed concerns about the declining original value of the Tema metropolis due to overpopulation.
Ashitey pointed out that the Tema metropolis, once renowned for its industrialization envisioned by former President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, has witnessed deterioration over time.
In an interview on Face to Face on Citi TV with Umaru Sanda Amadu, he acknowledged the transformation of certain areas in Tema into slums by settlers.
He specifically highlighted Sites 2 and 20, occupied by residents who failed to relocate after a project was completed, and mentioned that Communities 4, 7, 8, and 19 were initially well-planned.
Ashitey explained that due to industrial and harbour developments, the indigenous people were compelled to move, resulting in unplanned settlements and the emergence of slums due to the limited available land.
Addressing the issue in Community 1, where factories and industries were set up, he noted the creation of small villages within the community that eventually became slums.
“Because of the industries and the harbour, the indigenes who were originally living there had to relocate, the plan in those areas is not the plan that was used for other communities. Most of the people who live around those areas are fisher folks and farmers. The more the population keep increasing, you will have slum nature generating, because the land is still small, and it is not big.
“That is why in Community 1, those who set up the factories and industries, they set up some small village within Community 1. Site 2, site 20 and all those ones, but after the whole project was over, they didn’t move. I think that when they came together, they brought in temporary structures and with time, it became more like a slum.
“Parts of Tema East look more like an afterthought because the indigenes had to be resettled. That area was not planned properly.”
He revealed ongoing plans to redevelop Tema New Town, incorporating high-rise buildings to accommodate a larger population. The redevelopment project aims to transform the outlook of Tema Community 1 and Tema Manhean gradually through phased development.