Captain Smart has warned that Ghana is in danger of losing some key national assets to China due to a substantial debt owed to the Asian nation.
The outspoken journalist named the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Tema Port and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as potential assets that Ghana could lose.
One third of Ghana's total external debt, or nearly $3.5 billion, is owed to China.
According to Captain Smart of Onua TV, China has already taken control of national assets in Sri Lanka, Zambia and Uganda.
Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, an outspoken morning TV presenter, has claimed that Ghana risks losing key strategic cash generators such as the Tema port to China because of heavy debts owed to the Asian superpower.
He warned that if Ghana didn't pay its debts, China would take control of the port, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Ghana's huge $3.5 billion debt to China is about a third of the $5.7 billion Ghana owes to foreign creditors.
As Ghana embarks on debt restructuring after a disorganised domestic restructuring, analysts have predicted that China's debt could prove the most difficult to manage.
When the going gets tough, China will treat Ghana the same way it treated Uganda, Zambia and Sri Lanka, according to the presenter of local-language morning show Onua Maakye.
On 2 March 2023, Captain Smart told his listeners in Twi: "In these countries, China took over their national assets such as their airports and ports because they could not pay back their loans.”
China has already said that it has become more cautious about lending to African countries because of signs that many of them may struggle to repay their debts.
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