Ghana cabinet moves to tighten oversight of public land leases

Ghana’s Cabinet has endorsed sweeping new directives to strengthen oversight of public land management, following a nationwide review of more than 8,000 lease arrangements.

The announcement was made by Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, February 16. He explained that a special committee had spent months combing through records of land allocations and transactions across all 16 regions before submitting its findings to the presidency.

“The committee undertook a comprehensive review of all public land allocations and leases across the country. On the completion of its work, I submitted the committee’s findings and recommendations. These were sent to Cabinet for consideration by His Excellency and Cabinet. A thorough review was undertaken, and I am pleased to announce that Cabinet approved those recommendations with certain key directives for immediate implementation,” Buah said.

The review covered 8,160 cases in total, ranging from direct applications and regularisations to state bungalow allocations, land swaps, and subsequent transactions. Notably, 88 of the 108 land swap or public-private partnership arrangements were concentrated in the Ashanti Region.

Officials say the exercise is part of a broader push to restore public confidence in land administration, a sector often plagued by disputes, irregularities, and allegations of mismanagement. By approving the committee’s recommendations, Cabinet has signaled its intention to enforce stricter accountability measures and ensure that future allocations are handled transparently.

For many observers, the move reflects growing recognition of the importance of land as both an economic resource and a source of social tension. With urban expansion, infrastructure projects, and private development competing for space, the government’s decision to tighten oversight is being seen as a step toward balancing growth with fairness.