A new National Lands Commission governing board was established by President John Dramani Mahama, who also promised extensive reforms to bring honesty and transparency back to Ghana’s land administration system.
Citing years of corruption, poor administration, and unlawful sales of state properties, the president called the inauguration “a bold reset” for land governance.
He stressed that going forward, all allocations, leases, and sales must adhere to stringent verification and control procedures after announcing the lifting of a temporary restriction on state land transactions.
The four main goals of the changes are to restore public trust, reverse unlawful land transactions, use blockchain technology to digitize land services, and harmonize statutory and customary systems.
With the goal of processing land papers in 30 working days, more than 300 young professionals will be hired and assigned to new district land offices in an effort to decentralize service delivery.
With just one woman now serving on the governing board, the president also expressed worry about the lack of gender representation on the board.
He demanded stricter laws to uphold Ghana’s affirmative action policy, which mandates that at least 30% of public boards be made up of women.
Along with promising that the government will restore any illegally acquired property, he also oversaw a thorough audit of state holdings purchased between 2017 and 2024.
“The days of file manipulation, absenteeism, and deliberate delays to exact bribes must come to an end,” the President declared. “We borrow land from our children. Let us protect it for future generations.”
The Deputy Minister, Hon. Sulemana Yusif (MP), spoke on behalf of the Sector Minister and stated that the process was conducted with “transparency and diligence,” guaranteeing participation from required organizations such as professional bodies and farmers’ associations.
Dr. Wordsworth Odame Larbi, the board chairman, accepted the responsibility and thanked the government, pledging to fully commit to resolving any land management-related issues.
The newly established bodies will provide input to the national Lands Commission governing board.
Source: newsthemegh.com