Tema: Madam Ebi Bright, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, has directed the declaration of public installations and places as security zones. This was contained in an explanatory note on the enforcement of development control issued to assembly members by the MCE and available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA). ‘The Mayor has directed that all schools, hospitals, security installations, government premises and environs, and service utility corridors be declared Security Zones,’ it stated.
According to Ghana News Agency, the move, as outlined by the TMA, prohibits any temporary structures such as kiosks and containers along the fence walls, buffer areas, corridors, or access routes of these facilities. This initiative is part of an eight-month plan to reorganize temporary structures in the metropolis, aligning with the MCE’s agenda to restore order in Tema, improve safety, and protect the livelihood of traders. The declaration of these zones is crucial for ensuring children’s safety and reducing emergency response times.
The Assembly is operating under the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936), Sections 94-97 and 106, which empower Assemblies to halt and demolish unauthorized developments. The Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925) and the Regulations, 2019 (L.I. 2384) authorize the enforcement of zoning, buffer zones, and public safety requirements. Additionally, TMA Bye Laws (2018 and 2019) prohibit obstruction, nuisance, and unlicensed trading structures.
The TMA emphasized the importance of keeping schools as safe learning environments, noting that temporary structures around fence walls create congestion and serve as hiding spots for criminal activity, disrupting teaching and learning. Similarly, hospitals and clinics need clear access routes to accommodate ambulance, fire service, and emergency responders, as temporary structures along their perimeter walls impede access and endanger lives.
The assembly highlighted that encroachment complicates the protection of lives and properties during emergencies. It stressed the need for assembly offices, courts, and civil service facilities to remain accessible, as encroachment undermines their efficient operation and dignity. Critical infrastructure such as high-tension poles, transformers, water pipelines, sewage systems, and underground telecom/fibre lines must be free from encroachment to prevent health hazards like contamination, fire, and electrocution, and to ensure the uninterrupted provision of essential services. Buffer zones must remain clear to allow uninhibited access in any eventuality.