80 percent of land in vantage places owned by foreigners – Ayariga
Ghanaians cannot buy land in their own country – Ayariga
Former presidential candidate for All People's Congress (APC), Dr Hassan Ayariga, has bemoaned the rate at which the country’s resources, particularly land, are being sold to foreigners.
According to him, it is only in Ghana that foreigners are allowed to freely buy properties. He said that in other countries it is very difficult for foreigners to acquire properties.
In a Kofi TV interview on Monday monitored by GhanaWeb, Dr Ayariga said that chiefs play a key role in the selling of premium lands to foreigners and leaving Ghanaians at a disadvantage. He added that in a few years to come, Ghanaians are going to be “slaves in their own country”.
“… our lands were owned by chiefs and family heads but over the years, the Chinese, Lebanese, came to Ghana and bought all the lands in vantage places and built the best houses just like here at Trasacco; about 80% of the houses here are owned by foreigners. That means we have a problem because when you look at the situation, sorry to say, a lot of the chiefs sell these lands to the Chinese for peanuts and at the end of the day, the best parts of Ghana are owned by foreigners.
“We are selling our lands to foreigners, what about we the Ghanaians? What is ours? I am worried in the sense that in a few years to come, we are going to be slaves in our own country. We have already started because why would you give your heart to somebody else who is not your wife? We have given our hearts to the foreigners including our oil, diamond, bauxite, cocoa, timber, mention it – all the mineral resources,” he said in Twi.
He added that it is quite sad that Ghanaians cannot buy land in their own country because they are being priced out by foreigners.
“So, what is the essence of being a Ghanaian when you cannot own what actually belongs to you? Before you can get a good land to buy in a vantage place in Ghana, they mention about $100,000. For you as a Ghanaian whose salary is less than GH¢ 1000, when will you be able to save over $100,000 to buy land?” he questioned.
Former presidential candidate for All People's Congress (APC), Dr Hassan Ayariga