The Ministry of Lands has reviewed a total of 8,160 lease applications executed or initiated across all 16 regions of Ghana, Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has announced.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, February 16, he said the applications included 4,176 direct allocations, 2,799 regularisations, 19 allocations for state bungalows, 108 land swap or public-private partnership arrangements, 795 subsequent transactions, and 265 fresh allocations.
The review was carried out by a committee chaired by Alhaji Yusif Suleimana, the deputy Lands Minister, following a directive by President John Mahama on January 10, 2025, which ordered the Lands Commission to halt all activities related to the lease and processing of public land transactions.
The President’s intervention aimed to protect public lands from abuse, restore discipline in land administration, and ensure all transactions deliver value for the state.
Armah-Kofi Buah explained that the committee’s work was part of the government’s broader “reset agenda” to restore public confidence in land administration.
The committee undertook a comprehensive review of all public land allocations and leases across the country, identifying lapses where some applications and allocations did not fully comply with the Lands Commission’s internal processes, undermining transparency.
The committee submitted its findings and recommendations to Cabinet, which has approved them with additional directives for immediate implementation, the Minister said.
He added that the measures are intended to strengthen oversight, improve compliance, and ensure public lands are managed with integrity in the best interest of national development.
Armah-Kofi Buah noted that “In the course of its work, the committee reviewed a total of 8160 lease applications executed or initiated across all 16 regions in Ghana.
These applications comprise 4176 direct allocations, 2799 regularisations (people who acquire lands through all sorts of means and later find out that those lands were public lands), 19 direct allocations related to state bungalows and then 108 land swap or public-private partnership arrangements. Interesting on that one, 88 of that specifically in the Ashanti region.
“Then we have 795 subsequent transactions, and then 265 fresh allocations…the review revealed that a number of these applications and allocations did not fully comply with the Lands Commission’s internal processes with the allocation of public lands. These lapses undermine transparency.”
