Dr. Agnes Adu, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Trade Fair Limited, has defended the decision to evict tenants from the Trade Fair facility, stating that many tenants had accumulated significant rent arrears, creating financial difficulties for the company.
In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face, Dr. Adu explained that numerous tenants failed to pay their rent, with some debts reaching millions of cedis, leading to substantial financial losses for the Trade Fair.
Dr. Adu revealed that the company had made several efforts to encourage tenants to clear their debts before taking eviction action.
However, after multiple failed attempts and ignored eviction notices, the company had no choice but to proceed with the evictions.
“Your revenue comes from tenants, and when they become delinquent, your business cannot run. So, the tenant must be evicted,” Dr. Adu said. She emphasized that when she took over the position, one of her primary tasks was to address the issue of delinquent tenants.
Some tenants were found to have not paid their rent for as long as three years, with some owing as little as 50 pesewas per square meter, which worsened the financial situation.
Dr. Adu added, “What I came to meet was an urgent situation. Every delinquent tenant had to be managed, and if they weren’t captured, eviction was inevitable. The company had to evict these tenants to stabilize operations.”
The situation has its legal backing, following a High Court ruling on February 12, 2020, which permitted the demolition of structures occupied by tenants who failed to comply with tenancy agreements.
Despite some tenants filing a case of contempt against the GTFCL officials, the Court of Appeal ruled on June 8, 2020, in favor of the Trade Fair, allowing for the planned redevelopment of the facility.
Tenants had been given ample notice to renew their tenancy agreements by September 2017 and were reminded until November 2017, ahead of the anticipated redevelopment set for 2019.
This eviction is part of the ongoing redevelopment efforts aimed at revitalizing the facility for future commercial activities.
