Alfred Adams
12 October 2009
Takoradi — SOME tenants in Takoradi, whose rented apartments are located along the principal streets of the oil city, are going through enduring and harrowing moments of ejections.
This has come simply as a result of the discovery of the oil, and the mad arrival of several banking institutions, which have found Takoradi an attractive business center, and are desperately looking out for apartments along the principal streets for use as offices.
These institutions obviously offer juicy agreements with landlords whose houses are located along the streets to be used as offices, and theses landlords have no other option, than to give in to their demands, and are now handing three months ejection notices to their tenants.
Sometimes the institutions purchase the structure outright, raze it to the ground, and redevelop it.
Currently, a two-storey structure located along the Liberation Road has been razed to the ground, and is being re-developed by two banking institutions.
This has led to hundreds of tenants having to vacate their rented apartments, amid grief and sorrow.
At Kwesimintsim Sawmill, for instance, about one hundred tenants of a three-storey structure have been ejected, paving the way for its use as an office.
One can imagine the harrowing ordeal these tenants would go through in eventually locating a new apartment to rent.
This reporter witnessed a situation in which a man and his family have been ejected, and were unable to relocate to a different apartment, they had no option than to pack out and stay with a family member.
In fact, though the discovery of the oil in the region, coupled with the arrival of the banking institutions in Takoradi, is steadily shaping the face of the city, in terms of structural development.
However, it is at the same time bringing untold hardships on some tenants, and this is because the situation has given impetus to landlords whose houses are located along the streets of the city to increase their rents inconsiderately.
For example, an office structure located along the principal streets of Takoradi is going for GH¢80 monthly, whilst a single room apartment hovers around GH¢30.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Ghanaian Chronicle. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
