The embattled Managing Director of the Tema Development Company (TDC), Courage Makafui Nukpenu, has once again been implicated in a fresh scandal involving alleged illegal land dealings.
The latest controversy surrounds a two-plot parcel of land at Community 25, in the Kpone Katamanso District, which, according to reports, had been legitimately sold by TDC to a couple in 2004 but was later resold under dubious circumstances to another developer.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward K. Mensah, the original buyers of the land, accuse the TDC boss of reselling their property to a third party despite having valid proof of ownership.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Mensah recounted that he acquired the two plots of land from TDC in 2004 after completing all necessary payments. He was issued both a receipt and a site plan while awaiting his indenture at an additional fee of GH₵15,000. In 2016, following a public directive by TDC for landowners in the area to regularize their ownership, Mr. Mensah submitted his documents for verification. After checks, TDC duly confirmed his ownership and even revalidated his claim with a fresh plotting and cadastral exercise.
However, his ordeal began in 2025 when the new administration assumed office. In pursuit of completing the legal documentation for his land, Mr. Mensah said he was informed by TDC officials that the process might delay. To his shock, his caretaker later informed him that the TDC boss himself had visited the site, leaving behind his complimentary card and a directive to contact him.
Mr. Mensah revealed that upon a scheduled meeting between Mr. Nukpenu and his representatives in the former’s office, his representatives were bluntly told that his land had been resold to another developer. Following a heated exchange, the TDC boss reportedly pleaded for a few weeks to resolve the matter with the new developer. Unfortunately, after several calls and follow-ups, Mr. Mensah was told outright that the new developer was “proving stubborn” and unwilling to return the land.
Matters escalated when the said developer, allegedly aided by the TDC taskforce and land guards, invaded the site, demolished existing structures, and fenced off the property.
A visibly distressed Mr. Mensah, fighting back tears, condemned the actions of the TDC boss, lamenting that his hard-earned investment on the land which has been in his possession for over 20 years had been illegally sold off.
> “Why should an NDC government through Mr. Nukpenu do such a heartless thing to a citizen like me? My only ‘crime’ is that I chose to invest the fruits of my years of working abroad back into my own country,” he lamented.
In a more shocking revelation, checks indicate that the two plots of land, which have significantly appreciated in value, were resold to the new developer by Mr. Courage Nukpenu using Mr Mensah’s site plan and documents he submitted to TDC upon request by the Nukpenu led administration.
Since his appointment in 2025, Mr. Courage Nukpenu has faced a series of media reports accusing him of shady land transactions, sparking outrage among party faithful and the general public. The latest scandal has deepened concerns over whether the top hierarchy of the NDC is willing, or even prepared to call him to order, as the company’s reputation and that of the government continue to take a hit.