Govt begins state lands reforms -Prospective owners to make 70% upfront payment of market value

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has begun major reforms of the state lands regime, including the establishment of a public land protection task force, review of the public land application form (Form 5), and review of the Lands Commission's internal processes for public land allocation.

The exercise also involves legislating public land application reforms, revision of public land premiums and the compilation of market value data for defined land clusters.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, who made this known at a news conference in Accra yesterday, said the measures would, among others, strengthen integrity, transparency and accountability in the administration of public lands, which were held in trust for Ghanaians, and ensure value for money.

The decisive reforms and procedures are backed by Cabinet to safeguard abuse and protect public lands across the country.

He said the measures followed Cabinet’s approval of the recommendations of a committee set up on June 5 last year to review the lease of public lands.

The minister consequently directed the immediate implementation of the reforms.

Mr Buah said to ensure sustainability and prevent a reversion to past practices, the government had taken steps to provide legislative backing for the reforms, and that the revised Public Land Application Form and the restructured internal allocation processes would be incorporated into the draft Land Regulation, which was currently undergoing review.

Ban lifted

On January 10, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama directed the Lands Commission to halt all activities relating to the lease and processing of transactions involving public lands.

However, the minister said the temporary ban on the services of the Lands Commission relating to the leasing, processing, and regularisation of public lands had now been lifted.

All activities, Mr Buah said, might resume immediately, but strictly in accordance with the new reforms and procedures announced.

The government would also ensure that every transaction, going forward, would adhere to the principles of transparency, accountability, and value for money, while safeguarding the interests of both the state and legitimate applicants, he added.

Lease applications

In the course of its work, Mr Buah said, the committee reviewed 8,160 lease applications executed or initiated between 2017 and 2024 across all 16 regions of the country.

The applications comprised 4,176 direct allocations, 2,799 regularisations, 19 direct allocations relating to State bungalows, 108 land swap or public-private partnership arrangements, 795 subsequent transactions and 263 fresh allocations.

He said the review revealed that a number of the applications and allocations did not fully comply with the Lands Commission’s internal procedures for the allocation of public lands, and that those lapses undermined transparency, accountability and public trust, and exposed the system to potential abuse.

To address these issues decisively and restore accountability, he said some measures had been implemented.

“All uncompleted transactions of the categories listed above have been cancelled, and affected applicants will be formally notified”, while “completed transactions of the categories listed above will undergo case-by-case review, and any allocation found to have been processed without full compliance with due process will be cancelled”.

Again, he said, all uncompleted regularisation applications would remain suspended pending a comprehensive review and standardisation of the Lands Commission’s internal procedures, and that the revised procedures would apply to all pending and future regularisations.

Form 5

Mr Buah said the committee found inconsistencies in the application of the public land application form across the Regional Lands Commissions, and that the lack of uniformity resulted in discretionary practices and uneven standards in the allocation of public lands, thereby weakening transparency and accountability.

“To address this, the ministry, in collaboration with the Lands Commission, has completed a comprehensive revision of Form 5.

The revised form will now serve as the single mandatory application instrument for all public land transactions nationwide, covering both re-applications arising from this exercise and all future applications,” he said.   

Internal process

The Lands Minister said with regard to the review of Lands Commission internal processes for public land allocation, the committee observed inconsistencies and weak enforcement of the Lands Commission’s internal procedures for the allocation of public lands, and that those procedural gaps created opportunities for abuse, circumvention of controls, and the processing of allocations without full compliance with established rules.

“In response, the ministry has undertaken a comprehensive review of the Lands Commission’s internal processes for public land allocation.

The revised process clearly defines the stages of processing public land applications, strengthens internal checks, and aligns each stage of decision-making with the principles of transparency, accountability and traceability,” he said.

Under the revised framework, no public land would be allocated by the Lands Commission without the prior written approval of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.

“This measure reinforces ministerial oversight, ensures policy coherence, and provides an additional safeguard against unauthorised or irregular allocations,” he said.

Land premiums

On the revision of public land premiums, the minister said the committee further identified issues with the valuation and pricing of public lands, with premiums charged for the lease of public lands ranging from approximately one per cent to 30 per cent of market value.

That practice, Mr Buah said, had significantly undervalued public lands and failed to deliver value for money to the state.

“The ministry, in consultation with the Lands Commission, has, therefore, proposed a new premium framework for public land leases.

Under this framework, a minimum of 70 per cent of the assessed market value of public land will be payable upfront as a premium, with the remaining 30 per cent structured over the tenure of the lease as ground rent,” he said.