Ransford Edward Van Gyampo, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana has said that Ghana needs Rwanda’s Paul Kagame to right certain wrongs in the country.
He says with a leader like Paul Kagame, people cannot capture State assets for themselves at the expense of the nation.
The Professor’s comment come on the back of the sale of State lands to private individuals, which has in turn stalled development.
For instance, President Akufo-Addo, after missing his deadlines for the construction of the Agenda 111 Hospital project, indicated that securing lands for the project became a challenge.
This, is what Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has alleged was due to the State capture of public lands by party cronies.
He had said on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, August 17, 2024, that if State lands had not been sold out to private individuals, government wouldn’t struggle to secure lands to undertake projects.
Speaking on the same show, Prof. Gyampo, who shared the concerns of Mr. Ablakwa indicated that, Ghana needs to get to the stage where people cannot acquire State lands to build their private enterprises at the expense of the environment.
Citing his experience in Rwanda, he noted that Ghana needs a leader like Paul Kagame to ensure such things are stopped.
He therefore lauded John Mahama’s promise to institute a public inquiry into the sale of state lands if he becomes President.
“I’ve heard somewhere in John Mahama’s campaign that it appears he is going to institute a public inquiry or something into the sale of lands and so let it start from 1992 up till now and those who have illegally acquired,… you cannot do this in Paul Kagame’s Rwanda.
“That man has won elections for the third time and it’s just because of the kinds of things he is doing and sometimes I feel that we need a Paul Kagame in Ghana,” adding that the State should go after those who have acquired public lands.
The comment comes on the back of claims by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, that public lands that have been sold to private persons occurred under John Mahama.
Addressing the press at a news conference in Accra Wednesday, August 14, 2024, the Minister described the allegations as “palpable falsehood”.
“The allegation was that the judicial service land was sold under this Akufo-Addo government and that is evidence of state capture but when these allegations are made my attitude is very simple, to put together the record, and assemble the facts before we make any decision.
“When the facts were assembled it turned out that the lands were not sold by under President Akufo-Addo. On the contrary, the land was sold under President Mahama in 2015,” he reemphasised.
