–By Daniel Bampoe
President John Dramani Mahama, is once again promising to build a modern administrative city outside Accra—an ambitious initiative that bears striking resemblance to the failed “Hope City” project he championed during his previous administration.
Speaking at a grand durbar of the Chiefs and People of the Greater Accra Region in Dodowa, as part of his ongoing “Thank You Tour” following the 2024 general election victory, President Mahama announced that the government will soon begin design and feasibility studies for the development of a new city.
The proposed location, he said, would lie on the Accra Plains and stretch across three regions: Greater Accra, Eastern, and Volta.
“I believe that this city will be located somewhere on the Accra Plains from Bundase, straddling across Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta regions,” Mahama told the gathering, indicating that the project would include a railway link and expressway connecting the new city to the current capital, Accra.
The goal, according to Mahama, is to decongest the overcrowded capital by relocating several government ministries, departments, and agencies to the new area.
“Accra is gridlocked, and the time has come for us to relocate certain parts of the government services out of the city,” he emphasized.
This vision echoes a bold promise Mahama made back in 2013 while serving as President, when he cut the sod for “Hope City”—a $10 billion technology and business complex to be developed in partnership with rLG Communications, headed by businessman Roland Agambire.
The Hope City project was designed to become a futuristic digital hub featuring six skyscrapers, including a 75-storey tower that would have become the tallest building in Africa at 270 meters.
Promising to create over 50,000 jobs, the project was launched with fanfare on March 3, 2013, and expected to be completed in three years.
It was touted as a symbol of innovation, technology, and national pride.
However, more than a decade later, the Hope City project remains an unfulfilled dream.
No construction ever began on the site, and it is now widely regarded as one of the most significant project failures under Mahama’s tenure.
Apparently there was no funding for the project and the initiator was relying on Government sovereign guarantee which never came.
The main promoter, Roland Agambire, and his AGAMS Group eventually came under scrutiny for mismanagement, and the project disappeared from the national conversation.
Despite that, President Mahama now appears to be reviving the concept under a new name and purpose.
In addition to easing congestion, he also framed the new city as part of a broader effort to address long-standing land disputes and development issues in the Greater Accra Region.
He highlighted ongoing concerns over state and ancestral Ga-Dangme lands, many of which, he said, were wrongfully allocated or sold under questionable circumstances.
“I understand the historical injustices and emotional depth tied to the matter,” he said, revealing that his first directive upon resuming office was to halt the sale and processing of government lands—a directive he confirmed remains in force.
He further disclosed that following the findings of the Operation Recover All Loots (ORAL) Committee, the Attorney General has initiated investigations into the illegal sale of public lands to politically connected individuals, with some transactions allegedly priced as low as GH¢45,000—despite the lands being worth millions.
In light of these concerns, Mahama announced that a Commission of Inquiry may soon be established to investigate how public lands, especially within the Greater Accra Region, were acquired, allocated, and used.
This commission, he noted, would include chiefs, historians, legal experts, and affected communities.
