Nation building: The politics of land use

Ghana is 60 and counting.  As a nation, our development agenda has been thwarted by numerous challenges.  Several explanations have been adduced to explain the causes of these challenges namely, colonialism, lack of technological know-how, corruption and outright laziness.

These notwithstanding, from a professional point of view, I propose a good look into one of the key challenges - our land tenure and land use controls.

That in my estimation, is the most debilitating cause of our weak national spatial development and the non-existence of a credible nationwide town planning programme conpled with the lack of political will.

Consequently, this has resulted in the emergence of unplanned and aesthetically bogus communities. And this, without doubt, is the most visible giveaway sign of our underdevelopment.

Provoke debate

The purpose of this article is to put up suggestions that may help provoke a debate over our land acquisition and town planning system. Thereby, ultimately intended at garnering support for the creation of a ‘total environment for good living,’ land-use policy for Ghana. 

After all, we are a product of our environment, and our environment contributes significantly to what and who we become. Unfortunately, since the start of our nation state, our developmental agenda has never been properly focused. 

We have not been able to operate a consistent land policy (or programme), which is to be made the heart of our community development. Not forgetting the economic and social well-being of the people vis-a- vis an environmentally functional and internationally aesthetic standard expected of a modern community in this 21st Century.

Organised land use

In the advanced world, town planning and strict land-use regulations account for the land use and development harmony that seamlessly exists, and as a consequence, produce the beautiful environment and communities that we all aspire  to have.

Assuming same to be an indisputably visible benchmark for the classification of an advanced nationhood status. Example of such modern town planning successes are Shanghai, Dubai, Seoul, Bulawayo, and Johannesburg.

Indeed, in all of these cities the common denominator of their planning successes is to be found in their individual land-use policies. Where land acquisition and use is strictly managed by state agencies. 

 What I am advocating for Ghana, therefore, is a bold and new principle, possibly an Act of Parliament to remove from the landowners (be it an individual, family, stool or skin), the right to sell or dispose of their land as their sole prerogative and invest that right in the state of Ghana. 

This will ensure that no land can be sold arbitrarily until a well laid-out development master plan for the area is determined and utility services and infrastructure adequately provided.

Thus, although the land itself will not be nationalised and legal ownership will still remain with the owners, the use and development value in the land would be vested in the state.

The new proposition

Moving forward, open lands, ready for sale and development should not be left solely at the discretion of the so-called landowners or chiefs.  The state is to legislate and assume control over the best land-use determination right.  This can be done by empowering the planning authorities to make planning schemes to cover all lands, and to control the sale and development of such lands.

Additionally, there is the need to introduce a new concept of ‘better town planning’ for all areas with bad layouts and lacking essential services. This is necessary for good community living and to improve and upgrade the living standard of the citizens. Moreover, blighted or obsolete areas, with its attendant overspill or overcrowding and crime should become a priority for solution and regeneration.  Indeed, on a basic level, town planning is meant to ensure that ‘developments conform to certain standards of amenities and convenience of living and the use of buildings.’

Thus, in our planning efforts (in this time and age) we should preoccupy ourselves with the objective of eliminating overcrowding and congestion of buildings to avoid the continuing endangering of our health.

To this end, we are to ensure that the haphazard and unplanned way of selling and buying land for development is officially outlawed. 

In fact, residential land development use, in particular, should be regulated and standardised to avoid the creation of slumps, unplanned and overcrowded communities. This can be achieved by getting the planning schemes to carry out restrictions on density; allowing,  10 or fewer houses to be built on an acre plot. 

Even more importantly, efforts must be made to control the unplanned sprawling of communities by providing reserved green belt of open land within and around newly planned built-up urban areas, while controlling the sporadic development of buildings which tend to be costly in the provision of electricity and water services. 

Not forgetting to talk of the waste put on agricultural lands. Of course for the policy to be sustainable, there should be cost recovery mechanism.  Landowners who benefit from the value added action of the state will be justifiably surcharged.

That is, every penny spent by the state in providing a modern community environment can be added to the selling price of the resulting serviced plot.  And this will eventually give us the well-planned towns and metropolis, we desire, such as in Bulawayo, Johannesburg and Dubai.

Benefit of such land-use policy

The benefits that can come out of a firm and cleverly crafted land-use policy are divers. A quick glance at a few may affirm the strength of the argument being put across. For example a uniform ‘land-sale-and-use’ tax, may ensure that adequate funds are realised from a properly managed land-use regime to benefit the economy.

Typically, a well defined land-use policy is bound to meet internationally acceptable standard and procedures for modern development. This reduces the incidence of land buyers acquiescing to the creation of haphazard developments.

A strict land-use policy will also stop the abuse and degradation of land and water bodies by galamsey operators and other land-use abusers.

Additionally, a land-use policy can help stop the wanton destruction of agricultural lands by real estate developers; who only have to buy the land and proceed to destroy farmlands by turning them into concrete buildings. A land-use policy is certainly going to help in the conservation and preservation of land for future generations.

Conclusion

A well- planned land-use development control vested in the state of Ghana, would afford the building of new self-contained towns to take care of population overspill from congested urban centres and accommodate industry and commerce decentralisation. Such land sale, use and development strategy or approach will also advance our economic, social and environmental considerations. This is certainly achievable by working through a well planned form and content policy application of all land use in Ghana.  Let us, therefore, start the debate now in earnest.