The Ga-Dangme Lands Administration (GDLA) has strongly challenged claims by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) that it holds legitimate rights over portions of land at East Cantonments, accusing the institution of relying on questionable documentation and attempting to facilitate a private development project without proper authorization.
The dispute follows ongoing demolition activities on the contested land, which GDLA says have been carried out without the necessary permits and against the interests of the allodial owners of the property.
Speaking on the matter, representatives of the Ga-Dangme Lands Administration insisted that the private developer currently undertaking demolition works on the land does not possess valid title documents and is allegedly being fronted by CSIR to take over the property for commercial development.
According to the administration, the original lease granted to CSIR dates back to 1973 and has since expired, thereby extinguishing any legal interest the institution may have had in the land.
“The lease these people are relying on has expired. The allodial owners have re-entered and asserted their interest in the property. Any attempt to develop the land without engaging the rightful owners is unacceptable,” a GDLA representative stated.
The administration further alleged that neither CSIR nor the private developer has obtained the necessary demolition permit or development authorization required to undertake works on the property.
“They do not have a demolition permit, they do not have the documents to work on that property, and they do not have any permit authorizing construction activities on the land,” the representative claimed.
GDLA also questioned documents reportedly being circulated by CSIR to support its claim to the land. According to the administration, CSIR has presented documents suggesting that it received a fresh lease from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in 2024 following an application submitted in 2023.
However, GDLA maintains that no such renewal was ever approved and described the alleged 99-year lease being cited by CSIR as fraudulent.
“Their application filed in 2023 was never approved. CSIR’s claim that it has been granted a 99-year lease is false. Those documents are not reflected in the official system and we consider them fraudulent,” the administration alleged.
The claims come amid the circulation of documents purportedly linked to CSIR, including a lease agreement dated October 2024 and correspondence indicating that the institution sought an extension of approval for a land swap arrangement involving the redevelopment of selected CSIR infrastructure.
One of the documents, dated March 26, 2025, shows CSIR requesting the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to extend approval for a single-source procurement arrangement tied to a proposed land swap transaction. In the letter, CSIR stated that a government directive issued in January 2025 had temporarily suspended transactions involving state and public lands, affecting the implementation of the proposed arrangement.
GDLA, however, insists that the existence of such documents does not confer ownership rights and argues that any renewed interest in the land should have involved consultations with the traditional landowners.
The administration has consequently appealed to government authorities to intervene immediately to prevent what it describes as a worsening dispute that could trigger unrest.
“There is going to be chaos on that land if government does not step in and stop CSIR and the developer from continuing these activities,” the representative warned.
The controversy adds a new dimension to the long-running tensions over ownership and control of prime lands in the East Cantonments area, with both sides expected to present documentation supporting their respective claims.
CSIR is yet to publicly respond to the latest allegations by the Ga-Dangme Lands Administration.
