Tema Artisans Protest Over Alleged Land Sale To Chinese National, Threat Of Eviction

A group of artisans working on a piece of land adjacent to the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) Limited in Tema have protested over what they say is the illegal sale of the land and attempts to forcefully evict them.

The artisans, who are mainly mechanics, say they have occupied and worked on the unnumbered plot for the past 26 years, transforming it from a valley into a workable site by filling it with laterite and gravel. The land, according to them, has been their only source of livelihood.

They claim the land, which belongs to the Tema Development Corporation (TDC), has been sold to a Chinese national by an individual identified as Francis Ayiku, who is now seeking to eject them without any prior notice.

Lead convenor of the group, Emmanuel Abdul-Salam, told journalists during the protest that the matter has already been sent to court, but appealed to government authorities to step in.

"These are mechanics who have been here for over 26 years. It was a valley and they filled it with laterite and gravel. This land is for TDC and TDC being a government agency, should rather empower the artisans by building mechanic shops here and give them space to work," he said.

"However, an individual called Francis Ayiku bought this place and went and brought Chinese here and they are now sacking these people to move from this place. This is very inhumane treatment."

The artisans are calling on TDC and relevant state agencies to intervene and protect them from what they describe as harassment and inhumane treatment by the new claimant.