Ghana’s Lands Minister Unveils Major Reforms to Strengthen Transparency in Public Land Administration

Story by Fada Amakye

Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has announced a major overhaul of the country’s public land administration system, aimed at restoring integrity, transparency, and accountability.

The move follows a comprehensive review of public land allocations and leases across the country, conducted by a committee chaired by the Deputy Minister, which examined over 8,160 applications executed or initiated across all 16 regions.

The review revealed widespread irregularities, prompting the government to take decisive action to safeguard public lands from abuse and ensure that all transactions deliver value for money to the state.

Cabinet has approved the committee’s recommendations, with directives for immediate implementation, including the regularization of 2,799 land allocations and a thorough vetting of 4,176 direct allocations.

The minister emphasized the government’s commitment to restoring public confidence in land administration, ensuring that all public lands are managed with integrity and efficiency in the best interest of national development.

The reforms are expected to promote transparency, accountability, and good governance in the management of public lands, and to boost investor confidence in the sector.

The regularization of 2,799 land allocations is expected to provide security of tenure to legitimate landholders, while the vetting of 4,176 direct allocations will help to weed out irregular and illegitimate allocations.

The government’s commitment to land sector reforms is a welcome development, and is expected to contribute to the country’s economic growth and development.

The minister’s announcement has been welcomed by stakeholders, who have expressed hope that the reforms will bring much-needed transparency and accountability to the sector.